Pretty Polly
by merigirl
Summary: I'm finally back. Big Cheese has purchased a deadly potion vvhile on Prisoner Island and returns to Little Tokyo bent on revenge. VVhile in battle vvith him, Polly becomes his victem! Hovv vvill Speedy go on? God Bless the memory of Kelly Greene.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the Samurai Pizza Cats. This has nothing to do with any of my previous stories, this is completely different, as you will soon see.

Speedy was in Good Bird's restaurant, leaning against the counter, waiting for an extra-special pizza to be ready. It wasn't just ANY pizza, it was part of an important thing he had been planning for a while. He nervously held a small daisy in his hand, thinking about the circumstances that lead him here today. Ever since he had discovered that Polly, his life long best friend, was the one he had been deeply in love with the entire time, he had been planning this! He smiled when he thought of her and how much she truly meant to him. He had always cherished her friendship, but God what had taken him so long to finally admit that these feelings he had always carried deep down were MUCH MORE than just feelings you would have for a best friend?! For the longest time that's all he thought it was, and had been too distracted by Lucielle to think it was anything more.

True, there was nothing _wrong_ with Lucielle, nothing at all. She was sweet, kind, and charming. But there was always something…missing. Something just wasn't there between the two of them. He chalked it up to just the few first months of dating…but as the months went by he couldn't shake the emptyness that not even Lucielle's kisses could fill. Something just wasn't there…but now he knew what it was! It was something only Polly had! It was the excitement and adventure that pulsated around her! With Lucielle he had felt comforted and secure….but it wasn't enough! He thought it was, but it wasn't. with Polly he felt so much more. He felt excitement, daring, adventur that seemed to follow everywhere she went. With Lucielle life was simple and peaceful, with Polly it was daring and exciting! Every day was a surprise, and now that he was spending even more time with Polly in the Pizza Restaurant, he had discovered she even made pizza planning exciting! He had noticed new things to admire in her….why had it taken him so long to see them? But now he had…and now that Polly was his one true love he would NEVER let her go!

The Rescue Team had taken early lunches from their restaurants to give Speedy encouragement and to wait with him while the pizza was getting ready. Speedy smiled and bgan to pluck the daisy in his own version of 'she-loves-me'.

"She's gonna marry me!" he said, plucking the first petal off the daisy.

"YEAAA!" They all cheered.

"She won't," he said, picking another petal.

"Awww," they said.

"She will!" Speedy said, picking another petal.

"Yeeeeaaaa!"

"She won't."

"Awww."

"She will!"

"Yeeeeeaaaaaaaa!!"  
"She won't."

"Awww."

"Speedy," Carla interrupted him. "The pizza's all ready!" Sh took it out of the ovn and opened it. It was zesty extra cheese- perfect! "All it needs is the special topping!" Speedy smiled, took something out of his pocket, and gav it to Carla, who put it right in the center. "There…perfect! What a romantic way to propose!"  
"Thanks, Carla! Speaking of proposals…" he noticed just one petal on the daisy. "where was I?"

"She won't marry you, she…" Spritz said, urging him.

"She will!" He said, plucking the last pedal.

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaa!!!" they all cheered. Good Bird then picked up the pizza and gav it to Speedy.

"There you are, buddy, all ready to go. I wish you every bit of luck!"

"Good luck! Go get her!!" the Rescue Team called out and Speedy waved and was gone. Carla tugged Good Bird's sleeve.

"Let's follow him and hide. I just HAVE to see Speedy in action!"

"Ya read my mind!" Good Bird said.

A little later Speedy arrived at the Pizza Cat Pizza Parlor. He stopped for a moment and took a deep breath, rehursing to himself one more time what he would say. Finally he opened up the door, causing Francine and Polly to look up.

"Hey, Speedy, bout time you came back," Francine said.

"Oh, Francine, we got ourselves a small problem with th pizza!"

What, what problem?" Francine asked.

"The customers, they said this was the wrong pizza, it wasn't what they ordered!"  
"How could it not be the right order? I know I put the right pizza in there, pepperoni and mushrooms!" Poly said,.

"well, open it and see for yourself!" Speedy said, handing the pizza Carla made to Polly. Poly opened it and stared. "Hey..how come a cheese pizza is in here, I know I put a….hey….there's something in here!"

"Huh?" Speedy said, pretending to be surprised.

"Yeah…it's…it's…"she reached in to fish it out. "It's…A SCALDING HOT RING!!!" She dropped it into a nearby pitcher of ice and took it out to clean it. She held it up, gasping. "Oh, Speedy…it's beautiful!"

Speedy took the ring and went behind the counter next to her, taking her other hand. "Polly, that ring is for you. That's to show you once and for all, that I'm done. I'm finished with all the flirting and done with all the girl chasing and staring. I'm not going to stall anymore when I deliver pizzas cause I have no reason to stop anywhere anymore!"

"Could you put that in writing?" Francine asked, recieveing filthy looks from Polly and a lot of the customers…who Speedy and Polly temporarily forgot about.

"Polly, I love you, and I realise now that I've always loved you! You're the one, Polly, and there will never be anyone else, ever! It's you, Polly, and it's always been you and will always be you! You have my heart, and you always will." He got down on one knee in front of everyone in the restaurant. "Polly Pururun Esther, you are the most wonderful cat in all of Japan! You can make me the happiest Samurai in all of Little Tokyo if you would be my wife. Pollyanna, will you marry me?"  
Polly's eyes had filled with tears at Speedy's heartwarming speech. "Oh, Speedy," she gasped. "Yes, I will!" Speedy put the ring upon her and stood up, sharing a passionate kiss as all the customers, sitting in the booths and lined up to order burst into spontaneous applause. For the longst time Speedy and Polly kissed deeply, unaware of anything or anyone else, not even th customers for th longest time.

Meanwhile on Prisoner;s Island Big Cheese and Jerry Atric made their way to the other side of the island. "Are you sure you know what you are doing, Seymour?" Jerry asked. "Dr. Heroshi has gone completely mad, so they all say from being on this island for too long! "

"They may say that, Jerry, but he's also a brilliant doctor and a fantastic inventor, and his expertise may serve us all very well!"  
"That's only because he's got more than two functioning brain cells, even if they're not all there, unlike you!" Jerry said.,

"HEY!!! WHAT was THAT?!?! ARE YOU CALLING ME AN IDIOT?!?! IF IT wasn't for YOU we wouldn't even BE here!! YOU COULDN'T KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!! ARRRRRGH!!" Before Jerry could duck he got covered in soot.

A little later after he calmed down Cheese went to see Dr. Herishi. "Good aftrnoon, Doctor. How is your newest invention?"

"It's just about done," the doctor said. "But remember your promise. I give it to you and then you build your raft and help take me OUT of here!"  
"Of ourse of course! Now, what do you call this?"  
"The Sleeping Death!" The doctor produced a green bottle. "You simply put this formula into any dart gun and shoot it. Once the victem injests it, a feeling of cold and drowsiness will rin through their veins. Their pulse will cease. No warmth, no breath, will indicate they live. Of course it will continue to beat but oh so faintly and silently no doctor's machine in the world will detect it, breath so faint nothing can deduce it! The skin will turn cold as ice the muscles go limp. The redness of lips and cheecks will fade to pale ashen color. Eyelids close as to signal life's end, each body part, losing its movement, will appear stiff and stark and cold, like death. In the deathlike coma they remain for 2 weeks, after which they waken as if from a long sleep."

"Excellent! Excellent!" Cheese said, knowing EXACTLY which group would be his first test victims as soon as they got back to Little Tokyo.


	2. Return of Cheese

"Oh Birdie, did you hear that?" Carla asked from her and Good Bird's place on top of the Pizza Place.

"I heard it!!" Good Bird said. "She said yes!!" Good Bird said, embracing Carla happily. "Come on, Carla. Let's congradulate them!"

Guido came into the Pizza Place a short time later with a smile on his face. "Hey, guys, what's going on here, I can hear the cheers from outside! If it's what I think it is man, I want details, and don't leave out anything!"

"How's this?" Polly said, showing off her ring.

"Oh my GOD!" Guido said. "Ya did it, man, I can't believe it!" He embraced both Speedy and Polly. "Congradulations, both of you guys!! wow, this is….my best friends are getting married!! Man this is unreal!"

"It's VERY real!" one of the customers said.

Another customer sniffled. "I'm going to cry…I really am!"

"It was the most romantic thing I've ever seen!" another customer added.

"CONGRADULATIONS!!!" Good Bird cried out in a loud voice as he and Carla came into the restaurant and hugged them.

"Congradulations, oh I'm so happy for you both!" Carla cried.

"Hey, were you guys on the roof the entire time?" Speedy asked.

"Hey, we couldn't wait to hear the news!" Good Bird said.

"Yeah. This calls for a celebration! Frannie, I think I'll have a pizza!" Another customer said.

"Better than that today!" Guido said. "Set em up, Fran, soda for everybody!" Francine looked like she was about to protest, but Guido waved his hand. "Put it on my tab, Francine! This is a special day!" He grabbed himself a soda, poured one for Speedy and Poly and made sure all the customers had one. 'Now if I could have everyone's attention," Guido began. 'I'd like to make a toast." Speedy, Polly, and Francine pretended to groan. "Thank you," Guido said. "You're all too kind!" He cleared his throat. "I'd like us all to raise our glasses to Speedy and Polly!"

"Hey, be nice there. Guido, I haven't picked my best man yet!"

"Uh...two very VERY nice sweet people…who I've known FOREVER and I can honestly say that their GENEROSITY, and GOOD HEART…"  
"Aw, ya can stop, Guido, I was just kiddin! You're my best man no matter what!"

Guido laughed. "How about this guy, huh? And how about this girl? Two of the greatest Cats ever.."

"He better say that, just ask the lumps on his head if ya got any doubts, curtesy of the bride-to-be and her frying pan!" Francine cracked.

"The owner of our lovely place, Ladies and Gentilemen!" Guido said.

"Just finish and get back to work," Francine said.

"Anyway," Guido said. "Speedy, Poly, seriously, I hope you have a wonderful, meaningful life together. If anyone deserves this, believe me both of you do. You two are the best friends anyone could ever have, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I love both of you guys!"

"Hear, hear!" the customers said, clinking their glasses.

"So, Jerry, how's the raft coming along?" Cheese asked. "Are we about done?"

"The Crows are almost finished with it! We should be ready to set sail really soon."

"Excellent! I'll tell the Doctor to get ready to set sail! Bye, bye, Prisoner's Island, it was nice while it lasted…YEAH RIGHT!!! Ha,ha, I can't wait to get back to Little Tokyo, and I especially can't wait to give those felines the punishment thy SO RICHLY deserve and FINALLY take my place as the RIGHTFUL ruler of Little Tokyo!"

"Then you can probably afford another set of clothes, no offense," Jerry mumbled.

"HEY, I HEARD THAT!!! ARE YOU SAYING I GOT BAD TASTE IN CLOTHES ?!?! DO YOU THINK YOU'RE A FASHION PLATE YOU HALF BRAINED IMBASILE?!?!!" Before Jerry could apologise Big Cheese gave a fireworks demonstration! When he picked himself off of the floor he went to see the doctor. " Dr. Hiroshi? Start getting ready, cause we're sneaking the hell off this island in a few hours!"

"Oh, fantastic!" Hiroshi said. "But you DO remember our deal, right? As soon as you become Emperior you give me my own hospital!"

'Of course, that's the first thing I'm gonna do! Now, if you would be so kind your solution, please?"

Hiroshi gave him a huge green bottle. "Just put this in any kind of needle or dart, take aim, and shoot! The victem will enter the deathlike coma in about 4 seconds!"

"Fantastic! Now start packing everything else, we leave in about an hour!"

"Hey, look over there," Speedy said pointing to a spot in the distance.

"Wha... Polly asked, turning her head…and Speedy planted a small kiss on her lips. "Hey, no fair!" Poly said, giving him a playful shove. "You stole that kiss without asking! I won't stand for it!"

"Oh yeah, " Speedy said, reaching around her waist and tickling her ribs. "What are you gonna do about it?" he teased.

"I'll have to take it back," Polly said teasingly, pulling Speedy close and kissing his lips. Speedy ran his hands down her back, pulling her even closer, enjoying the excitement that came with her kisses, no one else's kisses, not even Lucielle, made time stop and made him feel like flying like Polly's. "we really have to stop this 'young love' phase," Polly said. "People might be appaled having to look at us!"

"That's a good thing, cause I don't want to share you with anyone else," Speedy said playfully, lacing his fingers through hers as thy walked. "I like being with you alone, just us!" He leaned against a tree and pulled her into his arms again, kissing her deeper and deeper.

"Ahem!" Came a familiar voice. Speedy and Polly broke apart and turned around, coming face to face with Al Dante. "Public displays of affeection? Now you both know better than that!" He smiled. "But just for the occasion I'll let this pass. I havn't seen you to present my congratulations!"

"Thank you, Al!" They both said.

"So, have you set a fate as of yet?"

"We've decided on May 20th."

"Oh? That's just three months from now! There's much to do!" H smiled. "Let me know if I can help in anyway at all!"

"Off we go!" Cheese said proudly as he, Jerry and Dr. Heroshi sailed away from Prisoner's Island while the Crows followed in another raft. "Bye, bye. Can't say it was a lovely stay..cause it wasn't!!"

"So, now that we're finally on our way, would you care to explain to me just what th plan is?"

"I'm only gonna say this one more time, Jerry," Cheese said. "once we get back to Tokyo we find the nearest cave and hide out…then we start constructing a new robot…only it's gonna be bigger and better than ever!"

As opposed to the hundred other "bigger and better" robots we've had?!" Jerry asked.

"HEY, I HEARED THAT!!" Cheese said. "For your information, this robot is just a distration for the Cats. That's where you come in! You take the doctor's potion and load it in a dart gun. Then perch yourself on a high building. I want you to take careful ai and shoot Speedy with it."

"why Speedy?"

"why do ya think ya idiot?! Speedy is the leader! Without a good leader the whole team will fall like dominos! They'll be so busy monring his death, thy won't be able to stop us from taking over!"

"Only for two weeks!" The doctor said,.

"Yeah, what happens at the end of that?" Jerry askd.

"By that time he will be laid in the family tomb! He'll awaken bolted in an airless waterless place surrounded by death and decay! He'll either suffocate or be driven mad and die of that! Either way we're rid of him!"

"I have to admit, it's brilliant! will wonders never cease sometimes!"

"HEY, ARE YOU CALLING ME STUPID??!!!! YOU'RE A FINE ONE TO TALK!! IF YOU ONLY SHUT UP IN THE FIRST PLACE…..I NEED SOME ASPIRIN!!"

"LOOK OUT!" Jerry cried at this explosion…which was so massive it blew them right back to Tokyo!


	3. The Death of Polly Esther

The song here is 'My Best Friend' By Tim McGraw

A few days later the phone rang at the Pizza Cats Pizza Parlor. Polly ran over to pick it up. "Samurai Pizza Cats, home of the hot and spicy. You got it. Get out the cash, we'll be there in a flash!" She hung up. "Hey, Speedy?"

He came up to her. "You rang, Kitten?"

She put a pizza pie in front of him. "One large pepperoni and mushroom pizza for Guru Lulu and make sure it gets there hot!"

"You got it!" He put it in his carry-out pouch. "I'll be right back!' He gave her a peck on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you," she answered as she watched him go out the door.

Lucielle then entered after waving a hasty good bye to Speedy. "Hello, everyone!" she said, waving happily.

"Lucielle!" Poly said happily, going over to hug her.

"Oh, Polly, I heard the wonderful news, congratulations, I'm so happy for you!"

Polly smiled and put out her hand, showing off her ring. "Oh, Polly, that is so pretty! Oh, it's incredible!" Lucielle began to tear up, so Polly took her hand.

"Francine, I'm going on break," she said. Francine nodded her head understandingly. Polly managed to get her out just before her missiles went flying.

"I'm sorry, I'm…just so happy!" she wiped tears from her eyes.

"Thanks, Lucielle," she fingered the sparkling ring on her finger dreamily. "I really do love him."

"I know," Lucielle said happily.

"Ya know, I as hoping you'd be my maid-of-honor!"

"Me?!" Lucielle asked, touched beyond belief.

"Yeah…I mean, you've always been there for me. You were my 'Pointless Sister', after all! Without you, I don't know where I'd be!"  
"Oh, Polly, the honor would be all mine!" Lucielle answered happily. "Hmm…I wonder if THAT'S why they call it 'maid-of-honor?"

"Maybe," Polly said. "So, will you do it?"  
"Of course!" Lucielle said. "Oh, Polly, thank you!" Polly ducked as more missles flew out.

"Thank you," Polly said.

"So, when's the wedding?"  
"May 20th."

"Oh, only three months!" Lucielle giggled. "well, let me know if I can help, that's what a Pointless Sister is for!"

"well, maybe tomorrow afternoon you can come with me and help me pick my wedding dress, and of course your maid-of-honor dress!"

"I'll meet you right here after you close tomorrow night!"

True to his word Speedy came running up just then. "Hey, Kitten," he greeted Polly, kissing her lips. "Hey, Lucielle, what's up?  
"Hello, Speedy, I came by to wish you congratulations!"

"Hey, thanks," Speedy said, giving her a small, friendly hug.

"She's going to be my maid-of-honor!" Polly said.

"Hey, that's great!" Speedy said. "e got to important members of the wedding party out of the way!"

Hey, Speedy, are you back already?" Francine asked from inside the restaurant.

"I TOLD you I would," Speedy called out, going inside.

"well, Jerry, how is the robot coming along?" Cheese asked from inside the cave they had found to use as a hideout. "Is everything going according to schedule? I hope so."

"everything is going according to plan, Sir," Jerry said. "we should be ready by tomorrow."

"Fantastic!" He gave Jerry the gun that contained the dart in which he had poured the solution. "No remember what you are to do!"

"Yes sir, I climb onto the topmost roof I can find and take aim at Speedy. while you distract them with the robot, I take aim and shoot."

"Yes, make sure you aim at either the part of his arm that has no armor or at his tail! The doctor said that the potion works in a matter of seconds! Just think, while they're all mourning their dearly departed, we sneak in and take over!"

"I have to admit, for once you had a good idea!"

"**Hey, what do you mean by that?!?! Are you calling me stupid?!?! At least I didn't shoot my mouth off to the Princess!!!" **Before Jerry could react, they ere both covered in soot.

That night Speedy had returned from his last delivery of the night and was helping Polly with the cleanup. Sighing he put away the mop and pail as Polly walked into his arms.

"He, busy day today!"

Yeah," Polly agreed. "I think it as one of our best ever!"

"Ya know, I think this is one of the few moments we had alone all day?"

"Let's not waste it," Polly said, kissing him tenderly.

Speedy smiled and returned Polly's tender kiss. He removed her helmet and stroked her hair, kissing her even deeper. He moved over to the jukebox and started it up, going over to Polly. "Shall we dance?"  
"Right here?" Polly giggled as Speedy swept her into his arms. One of his hands rested on her back and his other held hers gently as he lead her in small circles around the room to the lyrics of the song.

_I never had no one  
I could count on  
Ive been let down so many times  
I was tired of hurtin  
So tired of searchin  
til you walked into my life  
It was a feelin  
Id never known  
And for the first time  
I didnt feel alone_

Youre more than a lover  
There could never be another  
To make me feel the way you do  
Oh we just get closer  
I fall in love all over  
Everytime I look at you  
I dont know where Id be  
Without you here with me  
Life with you makes perfect sense  
Youre my best friend  
Youre my best friend, oh yeah

You stand by me  
And you believe in me  
Like nobody ever has  
When my world goes crazy  
Youre right there to save me  
You make me see how much I have  
And I still tremble  
When we touch  
And oh the look in your eyes  
When we make love

Youre more than a lover  
There could never be another  
To make me feel the way you do  
Oh we just get closer  
I fall in love all over  
Everytime I look at you  
And I dont know where Id be  
Without you here with me  
Life with you makes perfect sense  
Youre my best friend  
Youre my best friend

Youre more than a lover  
There could never be another  
To make me feel the way you do  
Oh we just get closer  
I fall in love all over  
Everytime I look at you  
And I dont know where Id be  
Without you here with me  
Life with you makes perfect sense  
Youre my best friend  
Youre my best friend (my best friend)  
Youre my best friend (my best friend)

As the song finished Speedy gave her a long, lingering kiss. "I love you, Polly."

"I love you, Speedy."

The next afternoon as Speedy and Polly were outside in the backyard enjoying a romantic lunch picnic, Francine stuck her head out. "Speedy, Polly? Al's on the phone, he says it's an emergency!" They both sighed, but got up and ran to where Guido and Good Bird stood by the videophone, seeing Al's worried face in it.

"hat's up, Al?" Speedy asked.

"Not exactly sure, but I think that Big Cheese has escaped from Prisoner's island and is up to his old tricks again!"  
"Big Cheese?! Ho can you be so sure, Al?"

"A huge robot, very similar to many of his, has been spotted destroying houses and buildings all along Little Tokyo! I'm counting on you, Pizza Cats!"

"Ya won't be disappointed, Al!"

"Yeah, you can count on us!" Guido said.

"Oh, and one more thing. Speedy, Polly? The wife and I would like to invite you both to dinner this weekend to celebrate your engagement and also to sample her cuisine. She would like to bring a dish to the wedding and wants you to pick the one you like best."

After accepting the invitation, the Cats jumped into the ovens and donned their armor. Making their way to the center of town, it wasn't too long before they spotted the ugly, dark grey robot making its way downtown.

"God, that's orse than anything Seymour ever did before!" Good Bird said.

"All the more reason why that's gotta be him up there! Hey Cheese, I don't know how you got back here, but that was a big mistake, cause were about to hack it to pieces!" Speedy called out.

"HAH, that's what YOU think!" Cheese said from inside the robot. 'Little do you know this is your LAST day your eyes will see this earth!! Jerry, take aim!"  
"You betcha, Cheesy boy!" Jerry cried from his post on top of the building, shouldering the gun and taking careful aim at Speedy's tail.

"Come on, guys. Let's get him!"

"Ninja's attack!" Cheese ordered. Speedy took out his sword and began to take on three at once. But whenever Jerry tried to launch the gun, either Guido, Polly, Good Bird, or more Ninjas got in his way. "Hey. Get out of the way," Jerry thought. "Cheese gave me direct orders to get Speedy!"

Good Bird easily took out several of the Ninja Crows using his on experience as a former Ninja Crow. Polly shot her heart shaped bombs at the rears of several more and used her Cats's Paw Attraction to lure more to her and scratched their faces when they got close enough.

"ARRRGH!!! MY face!!! Jerry, get her!!!! SHOOT her!"

Guido used his umbrella to shoot a stream of fire at the Crows. "Ouch, Jerry, get him!"

"Get Speedy!!"  
"I'll get one of them if they manage to stand still!!" Jerry said, trying to aim, but the fast methods of the Cats making it seem impossible. "OK, OK, I've got it!!" He said, taking careful aim at Speedy. "Oh Fearless Leader…time to go permanent night-night!"

Meantime Guido had hypnotized five of the Crows. "There's only one ticket left for the fireworks display, and if ya want it you're gonna have to fight for it." They started attacking each other until they all fell down in a heap.

Speedy jumped up, again out of Jerry's aim. "OK, Cats, let's finish this!" He held up his sword as energy surrounded him. Pink energy surrounded Polly and Guido jumped onto his umbrella. Speedy's energy collected into his swords as he crossed them in front of him. Polly's energy collected into her flute and katana that she crossed in front of him. Blue energy formed at the tip of Guido's sword.

"Cat's eye slash!" Speedy formed the energy into a big yellow circle.  
"Azure Dragon Fire!" Guido brought down his sword.

"Heartbreaker!" Polly said forming a heart with her pink energy in the flute and katana. The triple whammy destroyed the machine and caused the foundation to rock. Jerry was thrown clear off.

"OK, heck with this…I'll just aim at the one closest!" A flash of red and pink crossed his face and Jerry took aim at the tail and pulled the trigger.

Polly felt a sharp pain on her tail as her body slowly went numb. "Speedy!!" she called before she fell as consciousness left her.

"POLLY!!!!" Speedy cried out as he ran to catch her. "Oh God…oh God..OH MY GOD!! POLLY!!! Polly, wake up!!" Her face was already turning pale.  
Taking the opportunity, Cheese jumped out of the robot, calling out, 'Retreat!!" He and the Crows took off.

Guido and Good Bird ran over. Speedy looked up through worried tears. "Get Al Dante, get the doctor, I don't think she's breathing!!" He began to perform CPR on her as Guido and Good Bird took off. "Hang on, Poly…oh please hang on!!!"

Speedy paced back and forth in the hospital.' "God, how long is he gonna be?!"Speedy said. "I can't stand not knowing!"  
"Try to calm down, Speedy," Al Dante said, although he couldn't hide the worry in his own voice.

"Yeah, Pol needs all of us to be strong for her right now!" Guido said, but the tears in his eyes were building.

"She's dead, isn't she?" Speedy whispered, choking on tears. "I was holding her in my arms and she wasn't breathing…"

Al put his hand on Speedy's shoulders. "Speedy, listen to me, we can't give up hope! The doctor's couldn't revive her at the scene, but they said there can still be brain activity….they're running all sorts of tests…all we can do is wait.

"Oh God," Guido whispered, holding his head in his hands.

Good Bird came over with paper cups of hot chocolate. "Thought we all could use something to drink." Al forced Speedy to accept a cup. Speedy drank it mechanically, not even tasting it. Finally the door opened and the doctor slowly came in. Just from the look on his face Speedy could guess what the news as.

"No.." he whispered, not even noticing his hands trembling so much the chocolate

Ran down the sides. He didn't even notice Al taking it out of his hands.

"I'm so sorry," the doctor began. "e tried everything, but the damage as to great." He sighed. 'I don't know what kind of poison that monster injected into her, but it as stronger than any of us had ever seen." He shook his head. "I'm terribly sorry," He said again. "But we couldn't save her. Polly is dead."


	4. Polly Gone

Speedy stood there frozen, his eyes big and glassy, his mouth hanging open. "No..." he whispered again. "No...NO.. not Polly...NOT POLLY!!!!! NO, NO, YOU CAN'T TELL ME SHE'S DEAD!!!! NO, YOU CAN'T TELL ME THAT!!!!" He grabbed the doctor by his shirt collar. "YOU'RE LEING!!! WHY ARE YOU LIEING, ARE YOU WORKING FOR CHEESE, IS HE MAKIG YOU SAY THIS?!?! POLLY'S A FIGHTER, SHE'S NOT DEAD, I DONT BELIEVE IT!!!! YOU CAN'T TELL ME THAT!!!"  
"SPEEDY!!"Al cried, gentily prying his hands off the doctors collar. "I'm sorry," he said.  
"That's all right, I can't tell you how many times that's happened to me!" The doctor sadly shook his head. 'I'm used to it, believe me." he turned to go. "Sometimes a doctor like me feels useless!"

Speedy by this time had lost his footing and collasped on the ground. Guido and Good Bird gasped and helped him up, but Speedy shook them off. "Not Polly..." he said again. "NOT Polly!" His whole body shook with grief and rage...and before anyone could say anything he threw open the door of the hospital and ran out into the street.  
"CHEESE!!!!! CHEESE! COME AND GET ME TOO, CHEESE!!" he threw down his swords and pulled off his helmit. ""CHEESE!!!! COME KILL ME TOO, GET ME TOO, CHEESE!!!! GET ME TOO!!!"

Cheese and Jerry had hidden themselves behind some bushes just in time to hear Speedy's outburst. By this time he was running down the road yelling. "KILL ME TOO!!!! COME AND KILL ME YOU ROTTEN RODENT, YOU WANNA!!! I GOT NOTHING TO LIVE FOR ANYMORE, COME ON!!!!!"  
"Should I take aim now, Cheesy, he's asking for it!" Jerry said, grabbing the gun. But a slow smile crossed Cheese's face.  
"No, Jerry...let's let him live for now. What's he's going to go through is punishment enough!"  
"Let him live?"  
"Isn't it obvious, Jerry? he's miserable, he can't live without her! Let;s just sit back and watch him try!"

"CHHESE, WHERE ARE YOU?!?! LET'S SETTLE THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!"  
"Speedy, what are you doing?" a voice cried out. Speedy turned around  
"Who's that?"  
"Me, Meowzma," he came into view. "I can hear you all the way across town, what are you doing?"  
"Get out of here!!! CHEESE, COME AND GET ME, DAMN YOU!!!'  
"Speedy, what happened?!?! What's going on?!"  
"Just leave me alone!"  
"But what's going ON?!"  
"SHE'S DEAD!!!!! POLLY'S DEAD, ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?!?! SHE'S DEAD!!!!" he ran on, not even noticing the shocked expression on Meowzma's face. Speedy reached an empty park and raced through the fence. "CHEESE...I'M GUNNING FOR YOU CHEESE...THERE'S NOBODY HERE BUT ME, COME ON!!!!! Please, will ya!" he sank to his knees. "Please...I want you to...I'm not gonna fight you...just come do it..." he felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see Al and Guido standing there.  
"Go away...please..."  
"Come on, Speedy," Al said gentily, helping him up. "We need to go back to the hospital and make a statement...then someone has to tell her parents..."  
"I'll do it..." Speedy said standing up. "I should be the one to let them know..."  
"Both of us will," Al said. " As captain of the Samurai I should do this with you."

Princess Vi was walling down the street, taking in everything she saw. "Wow, what a beautiful day!" she said happily. "I think this day is one of the nicest in Little Tokyo, wouldn't you say?" she asked one of her handmaidens.  
"Oh yes, Princess, just lovely!" she quickly agreed, causing Vi to smile ear to ear. She came across Francine, walking with her head close to the ground, obviously in complete shock, clutching a pastic bag to her chest.

"Good day, Francine! What have you got there, pizza supplies.?"  
Francine didn't even look up. as she sat on a nearby bench. 'Yes yes. pizza supplies," Francine said absently, settling them between her knees.  
"Hey, I said good morning, you're supposed to bow to me!" she looked into Francine's face. "Francine...is something wrong?"  
"OH GOD!!!" Francine said, bursting into tears. "Oh God, she's dead, she's dead!!!!" We're ruined, Princess, she's gone!!! Oh, she's gone!!"  
"What?! Someone died?!" she turned to her servants. "WHY WASN'T I INFORMED OF THIS?!" She turned to Francine. "Who died?"  
"I was at the hospital, I saw the wound, right on her tail, I saw it with my own eyes! She's a corpse now, nothing more than a corpse, pale as ashes! This morning I said hello to her, she was so happy and bubbly and so in love...and a few hours later she's a corpse!!!"  
"WHO IS A CORPSE?!?!"  
"OH, POLLY, POLLY!!!! ONE OF THE DEAREST FRIENDS I HAD!! THAT I SHOUD LIVE TO SEE HER DEAD!!!"  
"WHAT?! POLLY?! POLLY ESTHER IS DEAD?!"  
"YES, YES!!!" Francine cried hysterically...and Vi put her arm around her as her eyes were teary too.  
"Polly Esther? No...not possible...'  
"Yes, I saw the corpse, I saw her!!!"  
Princess Vi stood up. "I solumnly swear this foul murder will NOT go unavenged! Get Al Dante, fetch him! Obviously poor Speedy and Guido are in no condition to deal with this so we'll need backups, the rescue tea, any volenters to find out who did this.."  
"I KNOW who did this, is was Big Cheese!!!"  
"BIG CHEESE?! Seymour is back?!"  
"Yes!"  
"Track down this murderer, he must be found! THIS time he's gone too far! Servents, prepare a declaration to be given in an hour. Seymour Cheese, 9,000 yen to anyone with any information we could use to track him. 12,000 yen for his capture dead or alive. That rat will be EXECTUTED IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE FOR THIS!!!" She turned to her Handmaiden. "When we get to the Palace, summon my goldsmiths, I have a project to commission. In honor of Polly Esther, our fallen heroine, let a golden statue be made of her, to be set up in the middle of town so she and her bravery in protecting our fair city will NOT be forgotten!"

Spritz was sitting on the cold stone steps of the Pizza Cat Pizza Parlor, staring at his hands. Next to him Carla was sobbing. Francine had closed the restaurant after coming back to identify the body...and had summoned the Rescue Team. Meowzma already knew the tragedy, but it was still a shock. They had all gathered outside on the steps, unable to believe what had happened. Spritz himslf felt isolated and cold. They were all a team, had saved each other numerous times. Just yesterday he had come into the parlor to wish them both congradulations on their engagement. Now...just like that, his friends, the bride-to-be, was dead. It didn't make any sense at all.  
"Where's Francine?" BatCat asked, looking around.  
"In the building," Spritz explained. "She wanted to be alone for a few minutes." They all nodded.  
Meowzma looked at his watch. "It's 3:00. How long do you think it'll be before the Cats come back?"  
"No one can say for sure. " he choked back tears, thinking of the grief and horror they must be feeling, especially Speedy. Meowzma had told him of Speedy going crazy though the streets...hard to believe SPEEDY would do that...but at the same time not too surprising, considering the cirumstances. Heavy footsteps were heard coming up the walk, and they jumped to their feet. Lucielle was running toward them, and Spritz sat down again, suddenly feeling very heavy.

Lucielle stopped short when she saw their faces and her body started to tremble. She buried her head in her hands. "Then it's true about Polly?" she whispered tightly.  
Spritz couldn't even talk so Genral Catton answered for him. "Yes, it's true."  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" she screamed, sinking to her knees on the sidewalk as her missles went off. Seeing Lucielle lose her composure was almost more than Spritz could stand. He felt he should comfort her, but he was too numb to move. Batcat stepped forward and put his arm around her. "Does anybody know what happened?" Lucielle choked on tears. "All we heard on the radio was that Big Cheese somehow shot something at her..."  
"That's what we heard too," General Catton said. "She was poisoned."  
Lucielle's sobbing grew louder. "She was only 25!" Carla couldn't watch them, couldn't watch any of them. She just stared on the ground.  
"Where's Francine?" Lucielle asked.  
"She'll be back in a minute," Carla said.  
"The Cats might be back soon," General Catton said. "We have to all calm down, they need us to be strong for them now."  
"I don't know if I can," Francine said, coming out of the Palor just then. Carla took her hand.  
"How are you holding up? Francine just shook her head. Carla could see the anguish in her eyes.  
"We should all go to the hospital," Lucielle said. "We should all be there to help them.."  
"Al asked us not to," Francine said. "He said to all gather here instead of causing a mob scene at the hospital."  
Lucielle stared at the ground. "Polly was so happy these past few days," she said, remembering. "wasn't she, Francine? Talking non stop about her wedding. She said she knew it was going to be the best year of her life!"  
"And now it's gonna be the worst year of Speedy's life," Spritz finished. He saw big wet spots on the sidewalk, but he didn't know it was his own tears until Francine Put her arm around him. 


	5. For Polly

The song is 'I'll Be Blue For You' from 'Muppet Babies' (some lyrics changed to fit the ep)

Speedy sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his collasped hands in front of him. He didn't know how long he had been sitting there, it could have been ten minutes, it could have been ten days. But the bright sun was streaming through his windows as if this were a normal day- as if his world hadn't ended. He wished the rain was pouring down, or it was cold and snowing even if it was March. With Polly dead, the cheerful weather seemed mocking, laughing at his misery. Without her time had no meaning at all, life just stood still. He gazed at his nightstand where his favorite picture of Polly sat- her in her uniform, brandishing her flute proudly, ready for battle. He even remembered when that picture was taken- at the first anniversary of their formation of the Pizza Cats. It sure seemed like such a long time ago. On his walls were several framed pictures of all three of them- at Samurai graduation, there they were with Francine at the opening day of the Pizza Parlor...God, was there ANYTHING he didn't do with Polly since 3rd grade? She was such a huge part of his life...he didn't know any life without her! He felt a stabbing pain in his chest and quickly turned toward the windows again.

The Rescue Team, Francine, and Carla had been waiting for him, Al, Good Bird, and Guido when they had finally come back. But Speedy had been to numb to speak. Meowzma tried to reach for him, but he pulled back and stared at the wide-eyed, tear stained faces of his friends before he had run up to his room to be alone.

_If I could make a wish,  
And have that wish come true  
I'd take us back to yesterday,  
When you were good as new.  
Until we meet again,  
You're still my closst friend,  
And I'll be blue for you!  
_  
Only now he was more alone than he had ever been. or even concived of being. True, he and Polly had had more than their share of arguments. There had been times when they had been separated through distance or conflict. But he knew deep down through it all Polly was always there for him, and always would be, just like he had sworn to always be there for her...now she wasn't.  
A knock was heard at the door and Guido came in, pale and lined with grief. Speedy sat up. "Howdy, Guido," he said, staring at his hands.  
Guido crossed the room and sat down beside Speedy, taking one of his hands. "How are you doing, Buddy?" he said with a voice thick with unshed tears. Speedy shrugged.  
"I don't know," he said. "I just don't know..." he lowered his voice to a whisper. 'I...I can't believe she's gone."  
Guido wiped his face with the back of his hand. 'Neither can I." He sighed. "I almost walked into her bedroom just now...just to feel her presence one last time...but I couldn't do it. I couldn't go in there."  
"I know..neither can I." He stared at the door. 'I keep waiting for that door to burst open and Polly to rush in telling me to get cracking and get back to work, or to ask me if I wanted to go for a walk with her, or to tell me Al is on the phone. I have to keep reminding myself it's not gonna happen anymore."  
"I know what you mean" Guido admitted. 'The place seems so quiet without her rushing us all off to work or answering the phone or barking out orders, or gabbing with Francine. She feels the same way we do. She said we should wait at least a couple of weeks before we even try to go through her things."  
"How's Fran doing?" Speedy asked. 'Guess I haven't been much help to her lately."  
"Nobody expect you to be," Guido reassured him. "This is a nightmare for all of us, but we all know it hits you worse than anyone."  
"Did ya see the Rescue Team?" Speedy asked. "Everyone was devistated."  
Guido clentched his hand into a fist. "I swear, we'll get Cheese for this! That creep has gone TOO FAR this time!"  
Speedy looked up, angrier than Guido had ever seen him. 'if I ever get my hands on that rotton rodent I'll make HIM SORRY HE WAS EVER BORN NEVER MIND COME BACK HERE!!!! HE'S GONNA WISH I NEVER SPOTTED HIM!!! HE'S SOMEWHERE GLOATING ABOUT THIS, BUT HE WON'T BE WHEN I'M DONE WITH HIM!!" He threw one of his pillows up against the wall with all his might. "And the worst part is," he whispered faintly. "This is all my fault!"

Al then came into the room. "Speedy? Guido?" Speedy and Guido sat up quickly. "Polly's parents are here, and they want to talk with all of us." He looked down. "They asked for Francine and Lucielle as well, so I suggested we all go outside. "  
"How's Lucielle doing?" Guido asked.  
"Well, she's pretty shaken up, you can understand. I mean, next to Speedy isn't Lucielle...WASN'T Lucielle her best friend?"  
"So I guess she hasn't been inside her teahouse all day."  
"If the missles give us any indication...no she hasn't been." He put one arm around Guido and one around Speedy. "Come on, I'll walk both of you down.

When they got outside Lucielle was sobbing so hard it was obvious she had run out of missles, Francine sat next to her, her look shattered. Good Bird had his arm around Carla. Polly's parents and younger sister, Suyaka, were sitting on chairs Francine had set up for them. Speedy was shocked at their faces, they had looked even worse than when he and Al had told them the news. Mrs. Esther's face was red and puffy, her husband's was tense and weary, and Suyaka was just devistated.  
"Hello, Speedy, Hello Guido," they both stood up.  
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Esther, hi, Suyaka," Speedy greeted them, and Guido did they same.  
Mrs. Esther wiped away tears. "We both needed to talk to you," she said, gesturing for them to sit down.  
"We've been making plans for the funeral service," Mr. Esther explained. "It's gonna be this Wednesday, the day after tomorrow." Speedy kept his face down, so Guido took his hand.  
"Where will the funeral be held?" he asked.  
"We were thinking of a service at Holy Name Funeral Parlor," Mr. Esther explained. "Then we'll held for the cemetary to lay her in the family tomb.."  
"NO!" Speedy said, quickly jumping up. "No funeral parlors!"  
Polly's mother winced. "Speedy," she explained. "I know how hard this is for you, but every member of the Esther family has had their funerals at the Holy Name Funeral parlor.."  
"Polly would have hated that!" Speedy said with certainty. "It's too depressing. A stuffy funeral parlor, with a lot a big, ugly flower arrangements and conservative clothes." he broke down in sobs. 'It isn't what she would have wanted!"  
"Speedy," Al said in his no nonsense voice. "This is the way things are done. It's all right.."  
"No, Al," Speedy said. 'This isn't all right. It's all wrong!"  
"I don't see how.." Mrs. Esther began.  
"No, No, I agree with Speedy, this isn't what Polly would want," Guido said, standing up next to him.  
"I agree too, Polly would hate that kind of funeral!" Lucielle spoke up.  
Al put an arm on Speedy's "Tell us, then," he said. 'Where would YOU hold the funeral?"  
"In the middle of town!" Speedy said insistantly. "Right on that small stage Princess Vi uses to give speeches! Right in the center of Little Tokyo!"  
"Speedy," Al objected. "I hardly think the Princess would consent too..."  
"She HAS to!" Speedy insisted. "Don't you see? Polly loved Little Tokyo and she loved defending it more than anything in the world! THAT'S where I wat to say goodbye to her!" Sobs overtook him again. "That's where she would have wanted to say goodbye to everyone!" Poly's Mother put her arms around Speedy and nodded to Al.  
Good Bird whiped tears away. "Please, Al, he's making sense!"  
Al stood up, after looking at Polly's parents, who looked at each other and then nodded. "All right, Speedy," he said. "I admit, it's a bit unusual, but I can't refuse you something like this! Princess Vi has already commisioned a statue of Polly to be built in her honor, so she might OK us to have the memorial service in the center of town- if you believe that's what Polly would have wanted. I'll go give her a call right now."  
"You can use our phone," Francine said, pointing inside.  
"Well, hardly traditional, but Polly was never one for tradition," her father said.  
"That's true...guess that's why I loved her so much," Speedy agreed.  
"But we're at least going to bury her in a black kimono, as tradtion..."  
"What?! NO!" Speedy sopke up. 'She'll want to be laid in the tomb in her uniform!" Her parents stiffened.  
"No, she's going in the kimono!" her father said. "We're having ONE tradtion around!"  
"Polly would hate that! She'd want to go in her uniform!"  
"Please," he mother said, "Please!"  
"Polly fought like a warrior, she would want to die like one!" Speedy said angrily.  
"She would," Guido agreed.  
"She was an ESTHER first and foremost and ALL Esther women are laid in Kimonos and SHE will be NO exception!!!"  
"But Polly would HATE that!!"  
"JUST FOR ONCE CAN'T YOU CATER TO OUR WISHES?!" Her father yelled. "She was OUR DAUGHTER!  
"But she was MY FIANCE!" Speedy said. 'I should know what she wants too!"  
"WHO ARE YOU TO SAY HOW WE BURY OUR DAUGHTER!!!!" Her father said. "You HAVE to say in this matter cause you are NOT part of this family!!!" Mrs. Esther gasped.  
"Hey!" Guido cried.  
Speedy stood back at this...looking like Mr. Esther had hit him. he stepped backward in shock, causing Lucielle and Francine to looked worredly at him.  
"Speedy?" Lucielle asked carefully.  
Mr. Esther caught what he said. "Oh God, Speedy, no, I didn't mean..." he said quickly, but the damage was done. Speedy backed away, turned around and ran off, sobbing his heart out.  
"SPEEDY, wait!" Guido cried and gave Polly's father a dirty look. "Well? Happy now?!" Mrs. Esther gave her husband a dirty look and ran after Speedy.

Speedy ran and ran as fast as he could. he didn't even know where he was going,tearswere blocking his eyes. He just ran and ran as fast as his legs would go. he couldn't stop himself, he didn't even want to, he just ran with Mr. Esther's hurtful words in his ears mixed with Polly's lovely words echoing in his mind. Finally he tripped and fell facefirst on the ground. He looked up as a familiar building took shape in frotn of him. It took him a while to recognize it...it was the old school! HIS old school...the school where he had first met Polly! he loked at the ground in frotn of him...right under the big oak tree. This was where that mud puddle was that those bullies pushed her in...the very moment they had met. Speedy cringed and put his head in his hands again.  
"Oh, Polly," he finally said, looking up to heaven. "Polly...I know your dad didn't mean what he said...I mean, he always treated me like a son whenever I came over. God, we grew up together I spent as much time in your house as you did in mine...I must have eaten half my meals at your place. But in a way he's right...I'm not really a part of your family. And...it's all my fault. You remember when we were little, it was the day after we met...and I saw how strong you were when you hugged me after I gave you your flute? I thought you were strong enough...you had it in you...and you could be a great Samurai warrior. Abnd...you did! God you were the best Samurai i ever saw...but don't tell Guido... Yet, I can't keep thinking...ever since...this happened...that if I had opnly kept my mouth shut...if I had just become your bodyguard or something and JUST remained friends...if I didn't give you the idea to be a Samurai..you might be alive today, Polly...and this would have never happened!!!" Behind his back Polly's Mother had found him and was quietly standing in the back listening to him. "What kind of friend am I that I caused all this?!?!" Sobs overtook him. "Being a Samurai wasn't the only way...it...it couldn't have been the only way! But...I didn't see it...if I did..you might be alive! But I missed...I didn't...and I just wanna say...that..I'M SO SORRY, POLLY!!!!!! I'M SO VERY SORRY!!!!!" He broke down and cried onto his lap, causing tears to form in Polly's Mother's eyes. She approached him.

_When I say I love you,  
It's coming from My Heart,  
I mean it,I really, truly do.  
Oh, I'll be blue for you!  
_  
"Speedy?"  
Speedy looked up. 'Oh, Mrs. Esther," he stood up. Mrs. Esther touched his arm and gestured for him to sit down. they sat down on a nearby bench.  
"I should aplogise for listening to you."  
"Oh, that's OK"  
"Speedy, you know my husband didn't mean what he just said...he's just upset over all of this..this is hard on all of us.."  
"I know..and I didn't make it easier.."  
"Oh, Speedy, don't say that! Speedy, listen to me..this whole thing wasn't your fault! It wasn't your fault at all!"  
"But..I encourasged her to be a Samurai."  
"Yes...and it was the happiest time of her life! Speedy, Polly loved being a Samurai! It was her favorite thing in the world, aside from her flute. She loved the challenges and the bravery she gained from her training! Speedy, you helped her out in so many ways.."  
"Helped, her, I caused her to die!"  
"No you didn't! Listen to me, YOU didn't do this to her! YOU didn't fill that dart with poison and shoot her with it, it was that horrid devil rat! You can't see in all directions at once no matter HOW good a leader you are! And...you had no way of knowing what was going to happen, no one did! But believe me, you helped her! You remember what she was like in 3rd grade? So shy and quiet and unsure of herself...she hardly ever talked to anyone...but when you encouraged her to become a Samurai, she gained so much confidence! She knew she could do ANYTHING if she put her mind and body to it!"  
"She also got a bit of a temper.."  
"Believe me,. Speedy,THAT she always had! But you were able to accept it and deal witb it..one of the reasons why she loved you so much! She wouldn't give up her samurai life for anything cause she loved it so much...and she loved you...and everything the both of you did! You gave her a lot Speedy and she was always grateful! This wasn't your fault, Speedy, please don't blame yourself anymore...my husband doesn't Suyaka doesn't and I don't, OK?" Speedy nodded. "Her life might have been short but she loved it so much! " She gave Speedy a hug and both of them cried into each other's shoulders. "Come, Speedy, let's go back. Let's all three of us work this out. After all..you ARE a part of our family, and you always will be!"

_I remember taking walks,  
You'd always hold my hand.  
I didn't have to talk to much,  
And you'd still understand.  
We had memories,  
And I'll take special care of these,  
I'll be blue for you.  
_  
Big Cheese laughed out loud,. "Ha,ha,ha!! Oh, Jerry, this couldn't get any better for us!"

"You think so, Sir? I didn't get Speedy…"

"No, but ya got the next best thing! At least Little Tokyo is gonna be a lot more peaceful around here after I become emperior!"

"I think this calls for a celebration!!' Jerry took out a bottle of champagne he had hidden in his pouch.

"Hey, where'd ya get that?"  
"I snuck it out of the Palace while Princess Vi as making her commission to the goldsmith to make Polly's image out of gold."

"Ya gotta be kidding, she's building a statue to that hothead?!?! WEll, when I'm emperior, that'll be the first thing torn down!!" No, let's have some of those drinks!" Jerry poured and Cheese lifted his glass. "To my new position as emperior, and to Jerry my new Vice- President!"

"And to my new Hospital!" Dr. Hiroshi said.

"Jerry send some of your men to spy and find out when the funeral is. I wanna make sure she ends up in that tomb!"


	6. Funeral Preparations

The next day Dee Dee, Sundance, and Cosmo came out of the plane as soon as it landed in Little Tokyo. Dee Dee herself was particularly upset, looking down and ringing her hands to herself. "Oh God, Oh, God," she kept saying. "Oh, Sundance, Cosmo, what do you say to fellow Samurai's whose member has just kicked the bucket…I mean passed on."

Cosmo shook his head. "It's horrible, horrible. Just horrible." He said.

"I don't know why we had to come here in the first place!" Sundance said. "Can't we just send a card?"

"Send a CARD?! Sundance, where's your sense of decency! As fellow Samurai's we have a sense of duty to attend this funeral!"

"who are you, Don Corleone? 'we have a duty to attend this funeral!'?"

"Yeah…ya think after this we can hit the town, I never saw Tokyo before!"

Dee Dee slapped both of their arms. "How can you think of yourselves at a time like this?! Do I look alright?"

They reached the Pizza Place and knocked on the door. Francine sadly came up and opened it. "I'm sorry, we're closed."

"Oh we know," Dee Dee said. "My name is Dee Dee. This is Sundance and Cosmo. My fellow Pizza Cats have come from New York to pay our respects."

"Oh, yeah, I heared about you guys." Francine opened the door. "Come in."

"Thank you," Dee Dee said.

Sundance stepped forward. "Permit me to introduce myself, I'm the Sundance Kid.."

"Yes, I know who you are," Francine said angrily. "The one that kept making fun of Speedy. Look, he's going through a very difficult time right now , and the last thing he needs is someone picking on him because of his height."

"Hear that, Sundance?" Dee Dee warned him. Sundance put up his hands.

Good Bird came down the stairs just then. "what's up, Francine? who are ya talkin to?" He noticed the Manhattan Cats. "who are these guys here?"

"Good Bird, this is Sundance, Cosmo, and Dee Dee, the Manhattan Pizza Cats."

"Oh, right I remember you." He shook their hands. "So, which one of you made fun of my pal, Speedy?"

"PAL?! weren't you the one ho tried to knock his block off when we last saw ya in Manhattan?"

"Hey, I admit I did do that, but that was then, this is now. I've completely reformed and I can honestly say Speedy's one of the best friends I ever had! And I guess that would make YOU Sundance?"

"In the flesh! So, if you're not Bad Bird anymore, who are you?"

"Good Bird."

"No surprise there!"

"Hey, at least I didn't make fun of his height then OR now!"

"Look, I know the shrimp can't help it that he's so puny…"

"Could you keep your opinions to yourself for these next few days?!" Francine said angrily. Dee Dee kicked him under the table and gave him a dirty look.

"It's such a tragedy," Cosmo said. " She was such a sexy lady.."

"I don 't think that's appropriate for a funeral!"

"You want me to lie?! She as sexy…bet she still is!"

"That is TOTALLY inappropriate! She died!"

"Oh, tell me again, IS she dead? Cause I didn't get that!" Sundance asked.

Good Bird looked outraged. "Francine, I'm gonna choke this Cat! I'm gonna, I'm gonna rwap my hands around his neck…"  
"SHUT UP, Sundance!!" Dee Dee said before standing up. "I'm sorry, please excuse my teammates. They have a habit of not thinking before they talk. we are truly sorry that this happened, and our sympathies go with all of you on this tragic time!"

"Say, where are Speedy and Guido?"

"They went to Polly's Parent's home to help them prepare for the wake tomorrow." Good Bird sighed. "I don't know how ANY of us are gonna get through this day!"

"we thought you both might want a say in the readings and so forth," Mrs. Esther said sadly to Speedy and Guido as they all sat together at the main table of the kitchen/ All they could do was nod their heads. The door opened and Jerry came in in a disguise followed by two of the Ninja Crows also dressed up.

"Good afternoon. Sorry to disturb you, we know you've been disturbed enough. wE're undertakers from the Golden Cross Funeral Parlor sent to help prepare the body for the wake tomorrow."

"She's in her old bedroom…on the top of the stairs to the left."

"Thank you,"he said. He beckoned to the Crows to go up the stairs and told them to carry the body down to the living room here the wake would be. The Crows took the white bir that was given to them. They made their way into the bedroom and slowly opened the door. There, laying on the bed, was Polly. At first they didn't even recogninze her without her uniform. She was laying on the bed, looking as if she was sleeping. She had been dressed in a black kimono, with a matching black ribbon in her hair, and her arms were crossed in front of her.

"Look at her," One of the Crows snickered. "Look, one of the greatest Samurai's in all of Little Tokyo!!" He struck a Shakesperian pose "Oh, where be your fighting, your claws, your temper now? where be your fearlessness now?!?!"

The first Crow snickered. "Ya know, I'm glad Jerry got her! There's something I've been wanting to do for a hile… "

"what's that?" The Crow took off a shoe and began to tickle Polly's foot. "Cootchie, cootchie!!! Cootchie, cootchie coo!!!" They started laughing. "Cootchie cootchie coo!"

"what are both of you idiots doing?!" Jerry screamed through the door. "Both of you hurry up and get that body and bring it down here!! Move it!!"

The crows set up the bier. "Do I have to touch her?" the first Crow asked.

"'Do you have to touch her'?" the second Crow asked. "She's dead…or she's definitely gonna be in two weeks, it's not like she can get up and claw our faces off THIS time! Now, on three. One, two, three," and they transferred Polly's lifeless body to the bier and slowly carried it don.

"Oh, where be your hothead now, your BIG MOUTH?!" The first Crow cracked.

"Silence up there, do you want them to hear us?!" Jerry asked. "Attend to your work!"

Polly's Mother met them on the bottom of the stairs and gentily guided them to the center of the living room here the wake would be held. A platform was set up and under her guidance Polly's Body as brought to the platform. Guido and Speedy were setting up candles on either side. Speedy's eyes glassed over at the sight of Polly's lifeless form on the beir. Her mother touched Speedy's arm and slowly put Polly's katana into his hands. Speedy looked at it.

"Go on," she said. Speedy walked over, folded Polly's arms across her chest and placed the katana in her hands, as was the compromise he had worked out with her parents. Polly would be buried in the black kimono but her weapons would be in her hands and her uniform would be laid out beside her in the tomb. He lingered near her, gentily stroking her cold hand and kissing it tenderly. Polly's father touched his arm.

"You know I didn't mean what I said before," He explained. "I know how much you and my daughter loved each other. Speedy, you've been a member of our family since day one. Feel free to come over anytime! For Christmas, for our birthdays, you will always be welcome here!"

"Thank you," Speedy said, hugging him. "I….I miss her so much.."

"Now, now, silence everyone!" Jerry said, holding up his hand. "Silence, for shame! Misery is not cured by crying! Heaven and you all had a part of this lovely girl, now Heaven has all of her, and THIS makes you cry? It's to her advantage! Didn't you say you wanted her to have the best, and you're crying, now that she HAS the best?! You can't do any better than Heaven! Higher no one else can go! No one can save anyone from death, now Heaven has her soul eternally, and THIS makes you sad?! This sort of love is selfish, for you're crying at the thought that she's so fortunate!" He pointed to Speedy. "Do you think you can ash her from the grave with tears? And even if you can you can't bring her back to life again! No, dry your tears. The wake is tomorrow, and the day after, put flowers on her lovely corpse and in her finest carry her to Church. The Heavens frown on you for some wrong you've done, don't anger them more by agitating them!"


	7. The Night Before

Princess Vi was pacing up and down her royal parlor, wondering how on earth she or anyone in Tokyo was going to get through these next few days. She was particularly nervous because she would have to give the speech at this…and it was the first funeral she had to officiate! A familiar fanfare sounded throughout the Palace, causing Vi to sit at attention with a hopeful expression on her face. The massive door opened and with it a familiar welcome face entered. "Mother!" she cried.

Empress Friedia entered the parlor with a stunned look upon her face. She crossed the room as her daughter raced over and buried her face in her neck. "Hi, Sweetheart," she said softly, running her hand through her hair.

"Oh, Mother, thank God they fetched you!"

"I came as soon as I heard. How are you holding up, Dear?"  
"Mom…I'm scared. This time Big Cheese has gone too far.":

"So I heard," she hugged her daughter close. "Bad enough he tried to ursurp the throne, but now he's resorted to murder!"

"I already issued a 9,000 yen reward for any information leading to his capture, 12,000 yen FOR his capture, and a public execution for him when we do find him….but it doesn't seem like enough!"

"Believe me, it is enough…it's the best you could do."

"But, Mom, this time we have a murderer in Little Tokyo! A killer! wE don't even know what he's planning to do next! who's he going to get next?! I'm scared to death to even leave the Palace…and I have to speak at the wake tomorrow and the funeral the day after! Oh, Mommy, how can I do it?"  
"You just have to hold your head up high, and trust your guard. That's what they're there for! Being the Princess and a friend of the deceased you have an obligation to be there to give your speeches."

"Also I have to dedicate the statue to her as soon as they're finished with it. I'll have to write a speech when that happens as well. Oh, Mom, I never realised how much responsibility comes with royalty."

"well, it suits ya, Honey," her Mother said, stroking her hair. "It's part of your Royal Duties as Ruler. Come on, Honey, I'll help you."

"will you go with me tomorrow?"

"Of course, Dear, I'll came here to pay my respects."

Meanwhile Big Cheese, his Crows and the Doctor were hiding in the cave listening to Jerry's report on the wake preparations. "Ha,ha,ha!! Oh, Jerry, this plan is going so smoothly this can't fail at all! Oh, hooray, hooray, I just love this! I think I'll do a dance, join me, Jerry!"

"Right with ya, Cheesy!" Jerry said, jumping up next to him.

"Oh, I'm just a little Cheesy!"

"I'm just a little old!"

"But when we all get together.."

"Our plans are big and bold!"

"No one can ever stop us,"

"And it's plain to see,"

"I'll be Ruler of Tokyo,"

"And his second I soon will be!"  
The Crows all cheered and clapped "Good job, Great job!"

"Now, all I need is to see that hothead inside that tomb once and for all, and she's as good as gotten rid of! with those to in the state they're in, it should be easy for us to sneak into the Palace and use the potion on the Royals!"

"Not with a bounty on your head, you idiot!"

"what as that, Jerry?!?! Ar you calling me AN IDIOT?!?! Are you saying I GOT NO BRAINS?! I'M NOTHING BUT STUPID?! POT calling the kettle BLACK!!! That gets me angry…ANGRY!!!" The Crows managed to get out before he exploded. Jerry wasn't so lucky.

"Do ya really need to go to a wake?" Sundance asked from their hotel room./

"If all you're gonna do is complain about this, you can just stay here," Dee Dee said.

"Oh, OK."

"You're gonna stop complaining?"

"No, I'm gonna stay here! I mean ya gotta go to the mortuary and see the coffin…I hate those places, they give me the heebee- geebees!"

"we're not going to the mortuary, we're going to her parent's home."

"Ya mean the casket is in there?"

"No, don't you know anything about Japanese culture? They don't bury people, they either get cremated or put in a tomb. She's being laid out tonight and tomorrow she gets put in the tomb."

"Ohh…..ya mean..she's not in a casket? You're gonna go…and her lieing there?!" He shuddered. "Now I'm GLAD I'm not going!"

Cosmo shook his head. "Look, Dee Dee, I found the lovliest flower! Perfect for the most beautiful flower in all of Japan who is being buried tomorrow."

"Very nice, Cosmo, I'm sure the bugs that are going to end up eating that flower are going to be very impressed!"


	8. The way we were

The song is 'All I Know' by Art Garfunkel

"Ya don't have to go to the wake, ya big baby, but you are going to the funeral tomorrow," Dee Dee said angrily.

"I'll go, I'll go," Sundance said.

"Stop being such a child," Dee Dee said. "As fellow Samurais we have a duty to pay our respects."

"I know and I'm aware," Sundance said. "And I'll do it tomorrow. But wakes creep me out, especially with her lieing there with no casket." He shuddered.

"Then just stay here," Dee Dee said. "Honestly, I can't believe you didn't read anything on Japanese culture on the plane! If you did, then you'd know!"

"Yeah, just relax, call Lucinda while you're here," Cosmo cracked before they left.

Sundance did try to call Lucinda, but she wasn't at home, so he called Abigail.

"Hey, Sundance, how's Japan?"

"It's alright, although they're going all out. The streets are covered in black streamers and people are in morning everywhere! who's the Pizza Parlor?"

"we're managing. Hey, seriously, I really am sorry that fellow Samurai bought the farm," she said. "But hey, she lived a good life. May have been short, but hey, she got to carry a sword everywhere, got free pizza…got to beat up men whenever they got fresh..that sounds like a really great life to me!"

Sundance smiled. "Sometimes I like ya, Abby, ya can always say the right things."

"Hey, I'm in pizza sales!"

when Cosmo and Dee Dee arrived at the esther place, there was already a great number of people already there. Several people were sitting on the white chairs that had been set up in the room, others were mingling around, and a row of people had lined up where Polly was laid out. There she lay, looking so peaceful she looked as if she were asleep, with her arms folded in front of her and holding her katana. She as dressed in a black kimono with a matching black ribbon in her hair. Her eyes were closed and her face had a calmness that showed only once in a while. There were candles set up on either side of her body, bathing her in a soft light. Polly's parents and Sukaya were to the left of her, Al Dante, Speedy, Guido, and Good Bird were to her right. Speedy himself was closest to her, and he couldn't take his eyes off his fallen beloved. He had to bite his lower lip to keep himself from breaking down, and his hand gripped the beir like a vice. Dee Dee and Cosmo joined the line of mourners. They walked over to here Polly lay and said a prayer over her body. They came first to her family and then to Al, Speedy, Guido, and Good Bird, shaking their hands and saying how sorry they ere. They then waked over to some chairs and sat down.

"In a way I can sympathise with Sundance…her laying there, she looks like she's sleeping almost." Dee Dee poked Cosmo.

"Shhhh!"

Suddenly all the people who were seated stood up as 2 trumpet players entered and played a fanfare. Princess Vi and her parents entered the room. The people all bowed low to them, so Dee Dee and Cosmo did the same. The Royals went over and prayed over Polly's body and then hugged her family, Al, Speedy, Guido, and Good Bird. They sat down on the nearest chairs. Francine entered just then, burst into tears over Polly's body, and came to sit next to Cosmo and Dee Dee.

"Oh, there, there," Cosmo said. "It's alright, just let it all out." Francine whiped her eyes and looked down. Soon the incense was bright in, signaling the ceremony would soon start. Minister Kayto took the podium that as set up near her.

"Silence," he called out, holding up his hand. "Silence, please, our Princess, Violet of Little Tokyo, will now speak." Vi looked at her mother nervously. Frieda patted her arm encouragingly and Vi took the podium as everyone took their seats and silence fell over the room.

Vi cleared her throat. "Citizens of Little Tokyo," she began. "Today is truly a tragic day in our city. Today we all gather here to mourn the loss of one of our city's greatest heroes. But as we mourn let us never forget all she stood for and what she died for. Let us never forget her short but brave and compassionate life. This young angel who we all mourn today was not only a true heroine, but a good friend to all who followed the law. This brave woman was not only a fantastic fighter, but a caring, thoughtful, generous person who we were blessed to have in our midst. wE mourn for her today, but let us never forget her kind and thoughtful ways and her deep love for our country, this love that defended all of us in our time of need time and time again. while we all know she is now an angel in Heaven , here on earth may she never be forgotten. God Bless you, Polly, and may you forever have love and peace."

Frieda patted Vi's shoulder. "That as wonderful, Honey." she whispered.

The priest then began the prayers to ward off any evil spirits and to guide her to Heaven. Soon the incense sticks were lit and one at a time Polly's parents and Sukaya came forward, knelt before the body and offered up the incense three times. Speedy slowly came up and did the same before Guido, Lucielle, Francine, Good Bird, Carla, and Al did the same.

"Tomorrow, as we lay her body in eternal rest, let our hearts never forget her bravery and generosity. Let us never forget her loving ways and her never hesitating to help her fellow citizens. Let us never forget her kind words and gentle tenderness that lit up the room wherever she went. Into your hands, Dear Father, we commend her spirit. Let us all pray together.."

After the wake, Guido, Good Bird, Al and Speedy staid behind to help clean up a bit and put the food away everyone brought over. Polly's Mother approached her body with something in her hands. She beckoned Speedy to follow her. Hen they reached her body she opened the box and shoed Speedy hat it contained- a lovely, jeweled necklace. "This is a special necklace," she told Speedy. "I was planning to give it to her on her wedding day." She took it out and put it around Polly's neck and fastioned the clasp.

Jerry, who was watching this from outside the open window, drooled at the sight of the necklace. "Cheese would love to get his hands on that!" He thought. "How much he could sell it for!" He ducked down and flew away, returning that night. He slowly climbed through th window and made his way to where Polly lay. The necklace sparkled around her neck in the still lit candlelight like tiny stars. He reached over to take it when he heard a voice and ran off, ducking under one of the seats as Speedy came in, holding a candle and in his bathrobe, obviously unable to sleep. Slowly he went to Polly and stared at her for a while, the made his way to the front seat, set the candle down and sat down on the chair to sit with the body. Jerry cursed to himself and climbed back out the window, flying away.

Speedy just sat on the chair with his hands collapsed in front of him, all the tears he held in at the wake finally spilling down as memories surrounded him. Memories of Polly all in his head, playing like his own little good-bye movie. All kinds of times he had shared with Polly, the good as well as the bad…yet he knew he cherished them all!

_I bruise you, you bruise me  
We both bruise too easily  
Too easily to let it show  
I love you, and that's all I know_

All my plans have fallen through  
All my plans depend on you  
Depend on you to help them grow  
I love you, and that's all I know

When the singer's gone  
Let the song go on...

But the ending always comes at last  
Endings always come too fast  
They come too fast, but they pass too slow  
I love you, and that's all I know

When the singer's gone  
Let the song go on  
It's a fine line between the darkness and the dawn  
They say the darkest night  
There's a light beyond

But the ending always comes at last  
Endings always come too fast  
They come too fast, but they pass too slow  
I love you, and that's all I know  
That's all I know  
That's all I know 


	9. Memories

The Song is 'Things That I Remember' from 'Sesame Street'

Speedy remained with his hands in front of him. Tears soaked his bathrobe lap, but he didn't even care. Memories of Polly filled his mind, not allowing him to sleep at all, and he knew looking up at her peaceful sleeping body would only intensify the pain in his heart.

_Things that I remember  
Times that never end  
Favorite things inside my head  
Special friend to friend_

Roads we've walked together  
All the stops we've made  
Jokes we've told and songs we've sung  
And silly games we've played

And there are chilly days in winter  
Out laughing in the snow  
And lazy days in summer  
With no place much to go

_Each day has its memories  
And when the day is through  
Things that I remember  
Are the things I did with you_

Things that I remember  
Safe inside my head  
Training and pizza making  
And the different books we read

You yelled whenever I goofed too much,

_Gave encouragement and cheer,_

_Now you're gone and I miss you  
I was so happy when you were here_

And there's an arm around the shoulder  
And a friend I'll always keep  
And nights so full of talking  
We never fell asleep

Each day has its memories  
And when the day is through  
Things that I remember  
Are the things I did with you

Things that I remember  
Are the things I did with you

Speedy and Polly were sitting upon a red blanket, staring out at the ocean. Speedy had treated her to a day off, and had asked her to dress up for it. He had planned to take her on the same route they went on when he had tried to keep an appointment with her and Lucielle at the same time. Only this time is was a REAL date, and he knew there wouldn't be ANY interruptions. They had done a lot of the same things, went to eat ice cream, browsed at the shopping place, watched the ships come into the harbor. Now they were having a picnic supper, just the two of them. Speedy put his arm around Polly and smiled at her. She turned around and smiled back.  
"This is just so much fun, Speedy!"  
"You having a good time, Kitten?"  
"The best," she said. She leaned her head against him and he stroked her hair tenderly. God, what had TAKEN him so long to find out his feelings for her? This absolutely beautiful cat had been right next to him forever, and he had chosen not to truly see her as anything more than a best friend...but now, sitting so close to her, closer than he had ever been he could fully see so clearly how lovely she truly was. How soft her fur was, and how bright her eyes were. He tilted her chin to face him and gazed upon her for a few seconds before tenderly touching his lips to hers. She wrapped her arms around him as the kisses grew and grew. He felt the electric charge between their bodies and ran his arms down her back, taking in the scent of her perfume she wore for the occasion- sensual and playful, like Polly herself! Being so close to her was incredible. he had to force himself to pull out of the kiss. No WAY Lucielle's kisses EVER made him feel like that! Lucielle was tender and sweet, but Polly...she was unbelieveable! Her kisses ignited so much in him...if Tokyo lost power they could just use the energy they generated to spark it up again!  
He looked up and saw Lucielle herself walking down the road, watching them. He raised one hand in greeting, and she waved back friendly and went on her way. He stared at Polly who smiled at her friend before turning to Speedy. "Can she tell how proud I am to be seen with her?' he thought. It was so great to be near someone he could be himself around. With Polly there was no impressing, so acting manly, no need to pretend. She knew him inside out and upside down, and he knew her! Any guy would be proud to have her. He felt like screaming at the top of his lungs. 'I LOVE POLLY ESTHER!" Nobody ever made him feel so much at ease..as ACCEPTED..as Polly did. He could tell her anything, and knew she understood. Sometimes he felt she knew what he was going to say even before he said it!  
"Mmm...that was so nice," Poly said as Speedy tiled her head up and began trailing kisses down her neck. "Mmm...oh, Speedy.." she whispered as he ran his hands down her back.  
"You're so beautiful, Polly," Speedy whispered. "You're so amazing..." he pulled away and gazed into her eyes. "I know it took me so long to REALLY see this, Polly...and I'm sorry about that...but you know I always cared for you, even when I thought of you as just my best friend."  
"I've always cared about you, Speedy...especially now.." she smiled at him.  
"Guess it's not all that unusual to go from best friends to boy and girlfriend."  
"Whoever said it was?" Polly asked, smiling. "I love you, Speedy.  
"I love you too, Polly..."

_"Thank you very much for walking me to my room, Mr. Cerviche," Polly said in a high-pitched, high-school voice as she and Speedy returned from their first official date._

_"The pleasure as all mine, Ms. Esther," Speedy replied making a small bow that caused Polly to giggle. Awkwardly he took her hands in his. Even from that point, Polly could tell he was nervous. That and the fact that he kept looking upon the ground. _

_"Speedy?" she asked pleasantly. "Are you OK?"_

_"Uh…uh..yeah..yeah. I'm fine.." Speedy said looking up into her eyes. They were so beautiful, now that he could fully see them. His breath as taken away at the sight of her, especially the lovely red kimono that she had worn that night. He always knew she as lovely, but no he could see it so clearly. _

_"But, Speedy, why are so nervous?" Polly asked._

_"who…who's nervous?" Speedy asked. _

_"YOU are!" Polly said. "Your hands are trembling!" Speedy looked down at the hands that were still holding Polly's. They were trembling like crazy. "Speedy, what's wrong?"_

"_Oh..uh..nothing..did you have a really good time tonight?:"_

_"I had a wonderful time, Speedy!" Polly reassured him. Speedy let out a breath he had to have been holding for 5 minutes.   
"That's good…that's all I wanted, Polly."_

_"Is THAT why you're so nervous?"_

_"Yeah…after all, Polly, it's our first date as an offical couple! I…I just want things to go well."_

_"They went perfectly! I can't imagine when I've had a better time! But, is that the ONLY reason you're nervous?"_

_"well…, heh, heh.."_

_"Cause you're scared, is that it?" Polly asked. "You're scared that this might change things between us?"_

_Speedy stared at her. "Amazing! How is it you always seem to know exactly what I'm thinking as I think it?"_

_"Because I'm a little scared too, of where this might lead us" Polly admitted. "Speedy, you're one of my best friends and the last thing I wanna do is something that might change what we have…but I also know I love you, Speedy, and I ant to be with you no matter what…"_

_"I do too, Polly," Speedy admitted. "Any challenge we face, I know we can beat_, _as long as we're together!" He laughed a bit. "wanna know what really got me nervous?"_

_"wHat, Speedy?"_

_"Our good night kiss," he explained. "I mean, all night I was thinking 'does she want me to kiss her? Is it too soon? how can I do it, how can I ask her…" just then Polly put her arm around him and kissed him tenderly on the lips, causing him to put his arm around her and kiss her back, wrapping it tight around her and pressing her close. "It was worth waiting for," he said when they finally pulled apart. "Polly….wanna go to the movies tomorrow night?"_

_"I'd like that," she smiled and kissed him again. _

_"See you tomorrow," Speedy said as she opened her door._

_"Tomorrow," she agreed._

_"I love you, Polly."_

_"I love you, Speedy," she said, blowing him a kiss before she closed the door. _

Speedy was startled out of his memories by a hand on his shoulder. He looked up through his wet eyes at Guido. "Ya couldn't sleep, either?" He looked down sadly. "want some company, Buddy?" He nodded. Guido sat down next to him.

"I…I just don't know how I'm gonna get through this day, Guido.."

"we'll all be here to help you," Guido said.

Speedy stared at the lovely body of Polly laying peacefully on the bier, surrounded by candlelight. "Must they hide her away in a big metal building tomorrow?" he whispered.

Guido patted Speedy's hand. "It'll be OK, we're all here for you."

"HAH, THAT'S a load of bull!"Francine's sharp voice came from the entrance as she made her way down the isle of chairs.

"Fran, what are you doing here" Guido asked.

"Same reason you are," she said. "who can sleep tonight? But I just happened to hear you..YOU, saying you'll be here for him?!"

"I will be here for him!" Guido said. "He's my best friend!"

"Boy, I'm glad I'm not!"

"Hey what's that supposed to mean?!"

"You know perfectly well what it means! Forgive me, but you hardly ever act like a best friend to him! Especially when it comes to delivering pizzas! Let's see, what were some of your more colorful remarks to him…oh yes: 'loser', 'furball', 'poor shnook', environmentally irresponsible', 'neofacist feline', 'one who couldn't pound the fuzz off a pussy willow. "

"Hey, I didn't mean any of it!"

"I bet! Polly was a better friend to him than YOU ever ere!"

"Hey, Fran? MIND your own business!!! "

"You got no right to say you'll be there after you repeatedly said those things…"

"Hey I got caught up in the heat of the moment, but I never meant ANY OF IT, ALL RIGHT, MAN?!?!"

"SHUT UP!!!!" Speedy said angrily. " If you both are gonna fight take it outside!!! I'm in NO MOOD to hear any of this!!!!!" Speedy collapsed on the front chair sobbing loudly.

Lucielle cringed from her place in the front of the house. Like the others she had been unable to sleep and had come to sit with the body…and she had arrived in time to hear the screaming match. She leaned against the wall trying to gain her composure. Her nerves couldn't take much more of this! Her best friend was dead, two more of her good friends were at each other's throats, and her ex-boyfriend turned good friend was going through the worst night of his life! She had never felt so useless!


	10. Goodbye, Polly

The song is my own version of 'Pretty Polly' taken from the folk song, the funeral procession is 'Precious Lord, Take My Hand' and Speedy's song is 'I Miss You' by Hannah Montana

Guido and Francine stormed out of the house before they could wake anyone else up. "All RIGHT, I admit it, I messed up!" Guido was saying, throwing his hands up. 'There, I said it, is THAT what you wanted to hear?! That I'm a lousy friend and I don't deserve any special favors or the RIGHT to be there for him?! Is THAT what you wanted to hear, Fran?! Ya know, THIS HASN'T BEEN EASY FOR ME, EITHER!!!" Before Francine could respond the sound of missles going off startled them and they ran to see Lucielle leaning against the wall sobbing.  
"Oh GOD, oh God!!" she sobbed quietly. She looked up. "MUST both of you fight tonight?! Must you? Tomorrow is going to be torture...for all of us! Why do you want to fight on top of it all?! Speedy's suffering is enough...my own suffering is enough!" Guido came over and wrapped Lucielle in his arms. "Hey, it's OK, it;s alright...there, there, let it out, let it out.."  
"THERE HE GOES, FLIRTING WITH GIRLS AGAIN!" Francine said.  
"Can you control yourself just for a while, Fran?" Guido asked, annoyed. "Lucielle doesn't need to see this now!"  
"Stop, please, I hate fights, I just hate them!" Lucielle sobbed.

"I don't blame you, Lucielle, I don't blame you," Guido said. "We're all going through a lot, Lucielle, this isn't easy for any of us." He looked at Francine. 'Cease fire, for tonight and tomorrow?" he asked.  
Francine nodded. "OK, but you better be there for Speedy as soon as this is over, and no more lousy name calling! He's going to need all of us to get through this, and we all have to be there for him!"  
As if she was psychic Speedy ran out. "What's going on here, I heard missles going off...oh, hi Lucielle, what can we do for you?"  
Lucielle gave him a sad smile. 'I thought, if you don't mind, I'd sit up with all of you tonight. I can't sleep."  
"Join the club," Speedy said sadly. "Come on in, let's all wonder together how we're gonna go through tomorrow." Guido took her hand as they all went inside the house and sat with Polly.

"Thanks a whole lot, Sundance," Cosmo said sarcastically. "because of you a lot of people at that wake were giving us looks!"

\"Hey, I didn't even wanna go, wakes scare me," Sundance said,.  
"Well, because of your remarks I don't know if we're even going to be allowed at the funeral today."  
"I'm not sure if we'll be welcome...but I AM going," Dee Dee said. "As a fellow Samurai I feel obligated to pay my respects."  
"We ALL should go," Cosmo said, looking at Sundance. 'We're representing our country after all, we should show them we can be respectful in times of tragedy." Sundance nodded.

"Happy day today, is not not, Cheesy?" Jerry asked happily.  
"Indeed it is, Jerry! Not only is one of the Pizza cats done for, it's the most dangerous one! In their current state geting rid of the other two will be a snap!"  
"So, what's on the agenda? We continue with plans for the robot? Or work on how we'll sneak into the palace?"  
"No, no, no, no, noooo, Jerry! This is a special day today, a day when we can claim victory!!!"  
"If you only had more brains we could have had a lot more..."Jerry said.  
"HEY, I HEARD THAT!!!! WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO RUIN THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE?!?! IT'S WORKING, YOU'RE MAKING ME ANGRY, ANNNNNNNNNGRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYY!! Jerry ducked just before Cheese blew up. he took a deep breath. 'There...much better. Now, LET THE CELEBRATING BEGIN!!! Jerry, get out the champagne...and let's pay a visit to the party...uh burial! Burial, party, where did that come from?!"  
"You're already tipsy, aren't you?"  
"Yes, I am! Now, come on, Jerry, round up the Crows and tell them they got a day off today! Pour us some bubbly and let's take in the sight of our victory!"

As the NY Pizza cats made their way over to the center of town they were amazed at what they saw! The entire square was filling up with people! Practically all of Little Tokyo was there, crowding the streets, lining the isle made up by hundreds and hundreds of folding chairs. man, they were lucky if they would be able to find a SEAT! Finally after lots of 'excuse me's' and weaving they found three seats close together near the center of the square. Father than this they couldn't go...unless they walked on people's heads! They had a good view of the stage, where Polly was already resting. She was on a bright white bier decorated with lace, which brought out her black kimono. Her katana sword was between her folded hands and a black ribbon was in her hair. Lighted candles were on either side. To her left was a portrait of Polly in her battle armor and holding her flute. To her right was another portrait, this one of her in a bright red kimono. Flower arangements were everywhere, the stage almost resembled a garden!

Lucielle peaked out from the right of the stage at the more than three thousand people, practically all of Little Tokyo, who were crowded into the square for Polly's Memorial Service. Princes Vi had said there were so many people that came she had to have speakers set up for those who coudn't quite hear the speeches. The scent of the flowers reached her. For the rest of her life, Lucielle realized, the smell of flowers would remind her of death. Through her tears she gazed at the people who had crowded into the square. She knew Polly had constantly risked her life for the good of Tokyo, but she had never realised before that Polly's life had touched so many people! Her parents, Sukaya, Speedy, Al and Guido sat in the front row, their expressions poised on the edge of tears. Guido had tried to talk to her earlier, but she asked him to wait until after the service, She couldn't risk breaking down before she had her turn at the mike, and she was next to speak. She tried to listen as Francine spoke onstage.

_Polly, Pretty Polly,  
put your armor on.  
Polly, Pretty Polly,  
Put your armor on.  
Big Cheese is attacking,  
You must fight till he's done!  
_

"So many people only knew one side of Polly," Francine said. "They only her her strong will, her hot temper, her way of fighting. But to those of us who TRULY knew her Polly was much more than that! She was not only a good fighter, she was a great friend! She was someone who you could always go to with a problem, and she would hep you with her trusting soul and golden heart. Polly was always there whenever you needed her. Even though she didn't tolerate slacking, and was a hard worker, I can recall many happy fun filled afternoons with her as well. Shopping, laughing, joking. THIS is the Polly I know and will always remember. Polly who is a trusting friend and someone who is always there...and she is STILL here...she is with us today and always will be.." she looked up to Heaven. "Polly, my friend, we will never forget you, not any of us. You were many things to many people...but most of all...you were yourself. Trusting soul...a golden heart...a loyal soldier, and a loyal friend."

_She jumped into her oven,  
And away they did roam.  
She jumped into her oven,  
And away they did roam.  
To stop Big Cheese,  
And defend Little Tokyo._

Ringing applause told Lucielle Francine was finished and stumbled backstage. She mouthed. 'Thank you," to Francine and hugged her tightly. She had never had too much in common with money-loving Francine, but their love for Polly united them. Francine's face was as white as the lotus blossoms. She ran back to the audience, sobbing like her heart was broken.  
Lucielle took a deep breath and pulled out from her pocket a tear stained peice of paper, her own contribution to the service, a poem to Polly. She squared her shoulders and stepped on the stage, calling on Polly's courage and confidence to see her through. In front of the kimono picture she laid a bouquet of lotus blossoms and stepped to the mike.  
"I'd like to read a poem I wrote for Polly," she said quietly into the mike. "It's called. 'My Better Half'. She took a deep breath and began to read.

'Fighter, singer, pizza cook, friend,  
Part of who I am is you.  
Your lovely smile, your helping hands,  
Sisterly love that always pulled us through.

You, who so loved life, are gone.  
The world I knew is torn apart.  
And I am left to carry on...  
My stage as empty as my heart..

How can I go on without you here?  
Even though I know this is what you wish,  
This world is now a quiet sphere,  
Now silent, like a quiet empty dish.

Yet you are here and all around,  
I can feel you in my heart,  
your lovely voice, your gentile ways,  
Remembering you is how I start,

To build my world, build my life,  
Even though yours now had to end,  
May you now rise above the clouds,  
And an angel called to Heaven again!"

In the front row, Guido's seat was empty. Polly's parents were weeping in each other's arms, Speedy was sobbing openly with his head in his hands. She snuck a look at the NY Cats and to her surprise not one of them were smirking, they were sitting sadly and respectfully...and Dee Dee was wiping tears away.  
Grief, horror, and sadness washed over Lucielle as she gazed upon the still form of her friend. She gripped the podium tightly. "I love you, Polly," she whispered into the mike. "I hope you're at peace.." she let go and stumbled backstage blinded by her tears. Guido caught her as she fell sobbing into his arms.  
"that was beautiful, Lucielle," he said. "I know Polly loved it." He kissed her tenderly on the forehead and picked up his own bouquet of roses. he walked onstage and laid tem by the portrait of Polly in her uniform. After stopping at Polly's body with his head bowed he stepped to the mike.  
"I'm not very good at public speaking" he began. 'Not like Polly was. Polly could talk to anyone, about pretty much anyhting. She did like being the center of attention...and that's a good thing because that's exactly what she usually was. Polly was so beautiful and so full of life that no one could resist her. They wanted to be around her...we all wanted to be around her..."  
Speedy wanted to listen to the rest, but he knew he would burst into anguished sobs if he did. He stared at the ground, trying to control himself, but not succeeding. Mrs. esther looked at him, how he kept his eyes close to the ground but unable to hide the tears. He hadn't moved all throughout the service, not even a muscle. She gazed at him understandingly and reached over to take his hand. Lucielle reached the seat next to him and took his other hand, and both held them tightly, joined by their shared love and shared grief. Frieda watched this from her place at the other side with Vi. Her heart immediately went out to them. No parent should ever have to bury their own child!

Speedy wondered how on earth he was going to go up there and speak when he could hardly move? But applause told him he had to. he slowly stood up and walked backstage where Guido gave him a huge hug.  
"You know I AM here, right?" he asked. Speedy nodded. He went over to the picture of her in her uniform and laid a dozen roses tied with a red ribbon in front of it. Wiping his eyes with the back of his hand he went to the mike.  
"I'd like to sing a song to Polly," he said quietly. "This sums up how I feel about her..." he gasped a bit and signaled to Vi's musicians who began to play the song Speedy gave them.

"_I used to call you my Angel  
Said you was sent straight down from Heaven  
You'd hold me close in your arms  
I loved the way you felt so strong  
I never wanted you to leave  
I wanted you to stay here holdin' me_

I miss you  
I miss your smile  
And I still shed a tear every once in a while  
And even though it's different now  
You're still here somehow  
My heart won't let you go  
And I need you to know  
I miss you

I miss you

You used to call me your dreamer  
And now I'm livin' out my dream  
Oh, how I wish you could see  
Everything that's happenin' for me  
I'm thinkin' back on the past  
It's true the time is flyin' by too fast  
  
_I miss you"_

Lucielle looked up from her place and it was obvious Speedy was starting to fall completely apart. She had never seen anyone look so miserable in her life. Speedy starred trembling and shaking...and he tried to get to the chorus, but Lucielle knew he just couldn't, he was breaking down too much. Finally she stood up and walked next to him, picking up the song.

"_I miss your smile  
And I still shed a tear every once in a while  
And even though it's different now  
You're still here somehow"_  
Guido come from his place and stood next to Speedy, singing along as well.

_"My heart won't let you go  
And I need you to know  
I miss you  
I miss you'"  
_  
Speedy gave his friends a grateful look and continued with the song.

"_I know you're in a better place, yeah  
But I wish that I could see your face,  
I know you're where you need to be  
Even though it's not here with me"  
_  
Al then stood up and stood next to Speedy, Guido, and Lucielle, encouraging everyone in the audience to sing along to help Speedy. Vi and Frieda stood up from their places causing all who were seated to stand and sing for Polly.

"_I miss you  
I miss your smile  
And I still shed a tear every once in a while  
And even though it's different now  
You're still here somehow  
My heart won't let you go  
And I need you to know  
I miss you"_

"I miss you.." Speedy continued by himself. he walked to her body and kissed her gentily. "I love you, Polly," he whispered. "You'll always be my Kitten, no matter where you are."

A few yards down, behind a pillar, Big Cheese sat with Jerry, listening to the service. They knew it was dangerous for them to be here, especially with hits on their heads, but they couldn't resisit showing up fir this. They peeked out from the pillar to see Lucielle and Guido speak. They couldn't make out their words, but their expressions were poised on the edge of tears. They had to hold in their laughter at all these idiots, crying and moaning for Polly Esther. Polly did NOT deserve their grief! They reveled at the thought THEY were the ones being string in front of thousands of sniveling fools!  
"Here she was the biggest most unladylike hothead ever born and these jerks are elevating her to sainthood, it's rich!" Cheese said. Jerry snickered and nodded. They got quiet in time to hear Speedy's song. "Oh God, where do I throw up?!" Cheese said.  
"What a blast of sentimental nonsense! She was NOT that great, she was FAR FROM IT!" Jerry said.  
"OH, Jerry, this is to laugh!" Cheese said happily.

The Minister boarded the podium. "That concludes the memorial service, please join me in a final prayer before the procession continues to the Esther Family Tomb for burial." Everyone stood and bowed their hands. "Heavenly God, we thank you for the gift of our sister, Polly. We thank you for giving her her strength and powers that enabled her to constantly defend our fair city. We ask Dear Father that we never forget her and we always remember her goodness, her pure heart, and her strong ways. into your hands, oh Dear Heavenly Father we commend her spirit. In your Son's name we pray.."  
"Amen!" All said.  
The music for the procession started and slowly but surely Speedy and Guido marched up to take the bier...and they were joined by the Rescue team, each one carrying a side. They slowly carried Polly down the stairs and handed her to the pallbearers who would take her the rest of the way. The candlebearers then stepped in front and lit the way, followed by Polly. Her parents and Sukaya started to follow, but Mrs. Esther stopped and offered her arm to Speedy, gesturing for him to walk with her. Speedy shook his head, but she insisted.  
"You ARE a part of the family, don't you realise...come..."she said, quietly, taking his hand and letting him march with them. Princess Vi, Emperior Fred and Empress Frieda came next, followed by Al dante, then Guido, holding a sobbing Lucielle and Francine, the rescue team follwing behind. Two by two the rest of the people began to follow to the tomb.

_Oh Polly, dear Polly, fear now for your life.  
Oh Poly oh Polly, now fear for your life.  
We know he means to murder you,  
And leave you behind.._

Oh Polly. Pretty Polly,  
We guessed about right.  
Oh, Polly, prettty Polly we guessed about right.  
He was preparing yuor grave,  
For the best part of last night.

You loved defending Tokyo,  
But paid with your life.  
You loved defending Tokyo,  
But paid with your life.  
You will die a warrior,  
But will never be a wife.  
  
The tomb was bright white and stood near the middle of the cemetary. 'ESTHER' was carved in black on the top of it. The procession marched to the front of the tomb. Speedy, however, saw his own parent's tomb near to it, and took some of the flowers he was holding, walked over to it and laid them down at the door of his parent's tomb, kneeling down to them before joining the procession. They were by now all singing.

_  
"Precious Lord, take my hand  
Lead me on,  
Let me stand  
I'm tired, I am weak I am worn  
Through the storm, through the night  
Lead me on to the light  
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home"_

They laid Polly down in the front of the tomb. her mother slowly approached and placed a small bouquet of flowers in her cold hands. Sukaya did the same, sobbing in her mother's arms. Lucielle then laid a copy of their 'Pointless Sister's album next to Polly and ran off before the missles went off.

_"When my way grows drear precious Lord linger near  
When my life is almost gone  
Hear my cry,  
Hear my call  
Hold my hand lest I fall  
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home"  
_  
Speedy slowly came forward and put Polly's flute in her left hand so it looked like she was ready for her Heartbreaker. 'Live like a warrior, die like one" he whispered. 'Oh God," he called out. 'Please don't lie her in the tomb until I hold her one more time!" he gathered her in his arms. 'Now do it...carry us both in the tomb, bury us BOTH!! Take me in there with her!!" he started sobbing. "Put me in with her!!"  
"Oh GOD, Help him!!" Lucielle said sobbing again, Francine quickly grabbed her hand and ran off before the missles went off.  
Al picked Speedy up. "Speedy..calm down...it's OK..it's OK..." he hugged him tightly. 'It's OK...GUido, take him away..take care of him!" Guido nodded, came over and laid Polly's sword near her before leading Speedy away from the scene to get his bearings.

_"When the darkness appears and the night draws near  
And the day is past and gone  
At the river I stand  
Guide my feet,  
Hold my hand  
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home"_

Precious Lord, take my hand  
Lead me on,  
Let me stand  
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn  
Through the storm, through the night  
Lead me on to the light  
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home"  
  
Francine then came back and put flute sheet music next to Polly, and Al Dante then put a picture of all three samurai's at Samurai Graduation next to her. Princess Vi then came forward and laid a rose on her chest, Freida did the same. Mrs. Esther came back ad put a framed picture of her and Speedy near her head. When that was done a transparents white shroud was placed over Polly as the Minister said a final blessing over her body. Rosemary was thrown on her as a sign of rememberance. The pallbearers then picked up the beir and carried her into the tomb. setting her in her place they slowly left and shut the heavy door of the tomb, closing it and locking it tightly.

Frieda then touched Polly's Mothers arm. "I really am sorry about Polly," she said honestly. "If anything happened to Violet, I don't know what I'd do."

_He shot her in her tail  
and away they did roam,  
They shot her in the tail  
and away they did roam,  
and into her grave,  
pretty Polly did go!  
_  
One by one the mourners then left bunches of flowers near the door to the tomb. Lucielle laid another Pointless Sister album near the door before she sobbed again and ran off. Princess Vi then came forward.  
"Citizens of Little Tokyo, this is truly a tragic day...for we have lost a true honest hero. In her honor, I Violet, Princess of Little Tokyo do commision a National Week of Morning. Let every shop, every store, every school be closed for a week. Let black steamers adorn the streets...and most important, let us never ever forget Polly Esther. I promise her family now that i will have fresh flowers put on this grave every morning..and in the middle of square I have already commisioned a statue of pure gold to be raised in her honor! Let us never forget her ever"

_They put her in the tomb,  
And started for home.  
They put her in the tomb,  
And started for home  
Leaving nobody there,  
But the wild birds to moan.  
_  
Speedy staid behind as one by one Polly's mourners began to leave. Guido turned to go and he saw Speedy standing ramrock still, gazing on the tomb. 'Speedo? ya coming?" he asked. "Francine is cooking a dinner for her family over at the Pizza Parlor."  
"I'd like to be alone with her, just for a few minutes, Guido." Guido understood and walked off, but hid behind and tree to watch him. he knelt down by the tomb and just prayed there awhile.

_Debt to the devil,  
Big Cheese must pay!  
Debt to the devil,  
Big Chese must pay!  
For killing Pretty Polly,  
And running,  
Running,  
Running away!_


	11. I'll Just Remember You

The song Cheese sings drunkingly is his rendition of 'Head hearted Woman' by Elvis Prestly and 'I'll Just Remember You' by Carly Simon

Speedy knelt down by Polly's tomb and said nothing for a few minutes. With a shaking hand he touched the engraved names upon the wall...fingering the last name carved...Polly's name. It was freshly craved and looked out of place among her ancestors. He looked up tearfully. "Oh Polly...I don't know what to say..except...I miss you. I miss you so much already. You were my very first best friend...half the time I felt you were the only friend I really had. We've been through so much together. You rememeber that time you won that music contest in 4th grade and your dad took us all out for ice cream to celebrate? You remember when we met Guido in 6th grade? How about when all three of us passed our Samurai Final in 8th grade and made it to 2nd degreee Samurai, and all our families went out to dinner afterward? How about...when my Mom died and you were there for me to hold my hand at the funeral? I mean, we grew up together, Pol. We shared so much...it's so hard to just say goodbye. This isn't like when Al forced us to disband the Pizza Cats, cause I knew we had letters and phone calls...now there's nothing." he gazed up and touched his hand to his heart. 'But I can give you this, Polly...you know you have my heart..and I swear you;ll always have it! I vow right now Polly, that there will NEVER be another girl, not now and not ever. I'll never date anyone...and I'll never ever get married! In my heart we were married and we'll forever be! They'll never ever be another you and there never will be! No one will ever replace you! As God is my witness I will never be married to anyone! " he touched her name again and burst into soft tears.

Meanwhile Cheese, Jerry the doctor and the Crows's party was definitely underway...in the worst way possible . By that meaning they were all falling down drunk as skunks.  
"Oh..oh..watch this," one of the Crows said, putting a full bottle of tequila into his mouth, tilting it up and sloshing it down in one gulp. "Oh my God,' he mumbled when he took it out.  
"I tell ya, Jer," Cheese said drunkingly. "Those cats...they should be thanking us for getting rid of that damn hothead!! Now...now she can drive the DEAD crazy!!" he laughed.  
"Yeah, yeah," Jerry sloshed. "She..she can throw cash registers at her great-grandpa's bones!  
"She can help them decompse!" he laughed. 'But in all..all honestly..they'll find out we did them good! " he jumped on the table and started singing drunkingly. while waving his half-empty bottle. "To...to the memory of Sweet Little Polly Esther...GOOD RIDDENCE!!!

_Well a hot headed woman,  
A soft hearted man  
Been the cause of trouble  
Ever since the world began.  
Oh yeah, ever since the world began  
A hot headed woman been  
A thorn in the side of man._

Now Adam told to eve,  
Listen here to me,  
Don't you let me catch you  
Messin round that apple tree.  
Oh yeah, ever since the world began  
A hot headed woman been  
A thorn in the side of man.

Now Samson told Delilah  
Loud and clear,  
Keep your cotton pickin fingers  
Out my curly hair.  
Oh yeah, ever since the world began  
A hot headed woman been  
A thorn in the side of man.

I heard about a king  
Who was doin swell  
Till he started playing  
With that evil jezebel.  
Oh yeah, ever since the world began  
A hot headed woman been a thorn in the side of man.

I got a woman,  
A head like a rock.  
If she ever went away  
I'd cry around the clock.  
Oh yeah, ever since the world began  
A hot headed woman been  
A thorn in the side of man."  
  
When he finished they all clapped.  
"Ah, Cheesy, that deserves another round!" Jerry said, pouring another one out for him.

Meanwhile in the Pizza Place Francine had cooked several of Polly's favorite foods and set them up outside so people could mingle...and Lucielle would be in no danger of destroying the place! But Speedy had held off and was sitting in a lone stool in a corner of the backyard with his arms folded, staring straight down. He hadn't moved at all since he had returned from the funeral and could almost pass for a statue. People kept shooting him looks but he didn't even look up. Francine kept offering him slices of pizza, bits of sushi, but he turned her down every time.  
"He's so still," Dee Dee whispered to Guido full of concern. 'He hasn't moved, he hasn't spoken to anyone..it's like he's still on shock."  
"He is, in a way," Guido explained. "Ya gotta remmeber..he lost his best friend! Really suddenly too!"  
"Still amazed how he values her so highly after the fact that she beat both of you guys to bloody pulps the first time we met in Manhatten," Sundance couldn't resist pointing out.  
"Shut up, Sundance," Dee Dee snapped. "NOW is NOT the time!"  
"I wish he'd at least SAY something," Frieda said, coming over to them. "It's so...not like him to be like that!"  
"I know..but you have to understand, your Highness, Polly and Speedy were really close. They've known each other since 3rd grade and they've been together ever since. Where you fid one you usually found them both! They grew up together, went to school together, became Samurais together. They were inseparable!"  
"Really?" Frieda asked incrediously. "They've NEVER been apart?!"  
"No..in fact in school people dubbed them 'Siamese Twins' cause they were ALWAYS together! Now..it's like a part of him's been torn away. He's without her for the first time in years! It's really hard on him!"  
"I hope this gets him to talk," Francine said, coming over with a plate of chicken teriyaki. "Hey, Speedy, I just made some chicken teriyaki!"  
Speedy shook his head slowly. "I don't want anything, Francine, thanks."  
"Take some, eat a little.." Francine said. "You love chicken teryanki."  
"I'm not hungry, Fran, thanks!"  
Guido looked worried. "I don't think he's eaten ANYTHING since Polly died!"

Speedy slowly went into the restaurant to get away from the crowds for a while and sat on one of the booths. He didn't want to eat or talk, he didn't even want to think..but his mind wandered anyway. True he and Poly had often fought or been separated, but they had ALWAYS apologised and forgiven each other..that's what kept their friendship so strong and sure! He remembered a BIG fight they had had over her singing career a while ago, when Bad Bird (when he was still Bad Bird) tricked Polly and Lucielle into forming the Pointless Sisters in order to hypnotise Tokyo. She had almost single handedly destroyed the robot when she had found out...but he wasn't sure if the air between them had cleared up yet, so he went over to her room that night...

_Speedy stopped in front of her room with trembling knees. "Go on," he willed himself. "Just open the door and ask Polly if she wants to talk..it's not like she's hiding any cash registers in there.." he knew how upset and disappointed she was that no one remembered her singing, and he knew he didn't help by constantly critizing her about it all throughout the battle with Cheese. "Go ON,' he said. "You didn't mean any of that stuff you said, now let HER know it!" He knew how hurt she was, and he would volenteer to help her, the last thing he wanted was her hurt. "But what if she's still mad at me?" he asked. "Then run out, but first make an effort!" he finally took a deep breath and knocked on the door. To his relief he heard a 'come in.' He opened the door and saw Polly sitting on her window seat looking out her window,. She turned to look at him.  
'Hi, Speedy," she said sadly. Speedy was somewhat relieved. If she was sad, that meant she wasn't mad.  
__"Can I come in?" he asked. Polly nodded. he went in and sat down next to her. 'Polly...can we talk?"  
"We're talking," she pointed out.  
Speedy smiled. "Ya know what I mean. Polly...I got something I need to say to you.."he looked into her eyes. "Poly..about your singing..I want you to know..I was wrong. Polly..I'm sorry. All that stuff I said when we were fighting Big Cheese, all that stuff about how your singing sounds like a parrot..Polly, that stuff wasn't true. and I didn't mean any of it.."  
"Oh? Than why did you say it?"  
"Because.." he blurted out.."Oh man, why DID I say it...should I honestly tell her why?' he thought. "Because..if you wanna know the truth..I was jealous."  
"EXCUSE me?!"  
"Yeah..I was jealous because you guys were such a success, even if it was Cheese tricking you..and you spent so much time on the stage and less time at the Piza parlor..I was,,scared. I was worried that you were gonna quit the Pizza cats and become a full-fledged singing star..and I took my worries out on you instead of telling you the truth. I thought if I discouraged you you would leave the group on your own..and that was a horrible thing to do. I was doing a lot of thinking since we got back, and I realised I should have told you the truth instead of browbeating you. But, I don't want anything to come between us, not Cheese, not your singing career, not anything. I love ya, Pol, you're the best friend I've ever had, and I don't want to lose you. if that means you'll have to quit being a Samurai..I've decided I'm not going to stand in your way, I'm gonna support you, cause I love what we have, and I don;t want to lose you. Our relationship means so much to me./"  
"Is THAT why you said al those things?! Cause you were afraid I'd LEAVE the Samurai?" she smiled. "Speedy, there's NO WAY I'd EVER leave you! Not even for a singing career! The Pizza cats ALWAYS come first to me...right behind our friendship!" She looked down. 'I said some pretty mean things too."  
__Speedy shook his head. "I deserved them." he said.  
"Well, you're not an imbscile, you never were. You're a smart, brave cat and a great fighter."  
"So are you, Polly. I don;t want to lose what we have."  
"It'll never happen," she promised. "So...you;d have no problem with me singing..even if I sound like a parrot.."  
"I didn't mean that!" Speedy said. 'And nothing could be further from the truth. You're not a parrot and you don't sound like one. In fact you have one of the most beautiful voices ever, and I mean it! In fact you COULD charm Little Tokyo and have them fall right on their feet and I mean it1 Your voice is gorgeous!"  
Polly blushed. "Thanks."  
"So, if you REALLY want to be a singer.."  
Polly smiled. "Ya know, Speedy, I was just thinking, and I realised that it wouldn't be worth it. I love singing but I love you guys more. I'd never quit the Cats, and I'd never give up being a Samurai. And I definitely don't want anything to come between us. Your friendship is the most important thing I have! Singing doesn't matter to me anymore, all that matters is that you and I remain friends." Speedy smiled, that was what he needed to hear.  
__'I'm sorry, Polly."  
"I'm sorry, too," Speedy held out his arms and embraced Polly. As they embraced he was happy to finally be with the one who mattered the most to him..his best friend.  
"So, now that we're friends again, what say we round up Guido and Francine and go out to the movies tonight?" Polly asked.  
"You read my mind!" Speedy said, touching her nose.  
Polly giggled and squeesed Speedy's arm. "That's what friends are for!' They hugged again.  
"Friends forever?" Speedy asked.  
"For ever and always!" Polly promised.  
_  
Speedy sighed looking around the room. "Forever and always," Polly's voice echoed in his ears. The place seemed so quiet...so dark..so empty..like how he was feeling inside. His friendship..his LOVE for Poly was everything to him! Now the room was just what his insides were now..dark, quiet, silent. He saw the spots from his tears fall on the tabletop, but he was too weak to even try to dry them off. 

_I don't remember day and night  
Don't remember any fights  
I don't remember what to do  
I just remember you_

I can't recall the summer breeze  
Whispers through the apple trees  
And I forget the songs I knew  
I just remember you

Time to go on  
So much life to be lived on my own  
Someday I'll wake up as good as new

Then I'll remember skies of blue  
Handsome boys I almost knew  
I try my best but I know it's true  
I'll just remember you 


	12. without you

A few days later Al Dante came into the Pizza Parlor to see how things were going. He knew the place was closed, per Vi's orders, and wanted to check up on all of them, especially Speedy. He knew Polly's death had been very hard on him and he prayed, for all their sakes, Speedy could recover soon.

He pushed open the door and walked in to be greeted by the sight of Guido and Francine sitting in one of the booths with their heads don and staring at their clasped hands in front of them. They looked up as he came in. "Hi, Al," Francine said.

"Hello, Francine, Guido."

"Have a seat, Big Al."

"Thank you," Al sat don. "How's Speedy doing?"

Francine looked down. "Not good, Al. Not good at all. He hasn't come out of his room for the past 2 days."

"He doesn't sleep either," Guido said. "I went down last night for a drink of water. I had to pass by his bedroom door, and he was still crying!"

"I haven't seen his this bad since his mother died a few years after his Dad," Francine said,.

"Yeah..but all three of us were there to help him through it," Guido pointed out. "No one of our trio is gone.." Francine looked down and burst into anguished sobs.

Lucielle then came down the stairs holding a full tray of sushi and a steaming cup of tea. "Oh, good afternoon, Al."

"Good afternoon, Lucielle."

Guido stood up. "How's he doing, Lucielle?"

"Not good…he didn't touch any of his lunch!" she put the tray on the counter.

"He hasn't been down for breakfast or supper either. Now, I'm no expert…but shouldn't someone eat?" Francine asked worriedly.

Lucielle looked worried. "I havn't seen him at all since the funeral."

"That's cause he hasn't come out of his room since!" Francine said. "This has been really hard on him, I haven't seen him like this in years!"

"Oh, Dear," Lucielle said as her eyes started to tear up.

As fast as he could Guido caught up with her. "Lucielle, why don't I walk you home right now? we can think of ways we can help Speedy."

"You make sure you JUST walk her home and get RIGHT BACK here, Mister!" Francine said. "Your best friend, if you still call yourself that, is upstairs needing as much support as e all can give to him!"

"I know, Francine, and I am going to give him support, I promise!"

"Don't stop or loiter on the ay! I sear, Guido, if I ere inclined to flirt as much as you are, my life wouldn't be worth an hour!"

"God, Francine, are you TRYING to replace Polly?!"

Francine picked up a frying pan. "Polly is with God, but don't think I won't hesitate to hit you as hard as she can- may she rest in peace- if you're not back here IN A HALF HOUR!!"

"Please!" Al said, standing up. "You're arguing here in a public restaurant! Either go somewhere private, argue calmly about your differences, or break it up! Speedy does not need to hear any of this no!"

Guido opened the door. "I'm going, I'm going!"

"Be back in a half an hour, and I mean it!"

Cheese leaned against the side of the cave, groaning and massaging his throbbing temples. The party had produced a MAJOR case of hangovers all around and all the Cros as ell as the doctor had massive headaches.

"Ooh, Cheesy boy, e celebrated a little too much, I think," Jerry groaned.

"Nonsense," Cheese said admid groans and bouts of nausia. "This is our victory! If anyone deserves the right to celebrate ourselves to oblivion, it's us! At long last, we won! wE actually on!! Oh..oh man, the room is SPINNING!" He fell down on his knees.

"So..do we all just stay here until we find our heads, Symour?" Jerry asked. "Stand still so I can see ya, will ya?!"

"ME?! You're the one who's dancing! Anyway, we can always talk about the new plan."

what new plan?"

"Ya don't think we're JUST gonna sit back and let them be miserable do ya?" No, no, no, we're gonna take advantage of their misery by getting ourselves another robot to attack. No way Speedy'll fight in his condition!"

"Oh….oh, oh…:Jerry fought back nausia.

"Yeah, and we can get started as soon as…..as soon as I remember what I just said..ooooh…" he fell down in a dead faint.

A little while later there as a noise from upstairs as the door to Speedy's room opened and he slowly came out. Al, Francine, and Guido looked at him worriedly. He seemed so fragile. His face was shrunken and glassy-eyed and he had easily dropped 5, even 10 pounds in the past week. Al stood up, "Hello, Speedy."

"Hiya, Al," Speedy said, without even looking up.

"So, what brings you out of your room, Son? Do you want to sit down and talk a bit?"

"I'm gonna visit Polly right now," Speedy said, holding up a bunch of flowers. "I'll be back soon." He left the place before anyone could say anything.

Speedy made his way over to the gravesite, here the esther family tomb stood, looking unusual in the cold, damp graveyard as it as covered with flowers. So many it looked like a garden! Speedy glanced at his parent's tomb first and took some flowers out of the bunch he held in his hands. "These are for you, Mom and Dad," He put the flowers on the grave and knelt down for a few minutes. He then moved to Polly's tomb. "These are for you, Pol." He put the flowers down by the tomb and sat down by the entrance. "So. How have you been? I hope you're nice and peaceful. It isn't the same here now. Not without you. I hope ya like the flowers. I know, I couldn't get any of the Lotus blossoms, I promise I'll get some tomorrow. Ya know, ya missed a nice little argument between Francine and Guido…,man, Guido, he hasn't changed a bit. He SAYS he's committed to Lucielle, but he still flirts like crazy. I know, I know, it'll be a miracle if he even tries to committ….but I think he might have a shot with Lucielle. No, no, don't take that the wrong way…please..I just think that Lucielle might have what it takes to make an honest man out of him! I'll let you know when I find out anything, OK? Ya know, Al came over today! Guess he wants to check up on us. He's not such a bad guy, I never really thought he was. He misses ya too. Ya remember how he was in Samurai Training? Always looking over our shoulders..we couldn't wait to get rid of him! who knew he really did that cause he cared, right?" He paused and touched her name. "You know I"LL always care for you, forever. " He kissed his hand and touched her name with it. "I love you, Polly."


	13. Could've Been

The sing is 'Could've Been', by Tiffany

Lucielle walked slowly and carefully down toward the bleak emptyness of the graveyard, a small bunch of white daisies in her hands. She stopped right in front of the Esther tomb and just stared at the huge iron metal doors for a while, then dropped to her knees by the entrance. She bowed her head in silent prayer, and raised her head to stare for a bit at the name 'Esther' carved on the top. After a while she silently laid the daisies at the tomb and said a final prayer before slowly getting up and walking away. She had tried to control herself all throughout but finally she just couldn't anymore and the missles streamed out, almost hitting two unwelcome guests who had come to the grave, but not to pay respects.

One of the Ninja Crows stood back from where he had hidden and watched Lucielle until she was a dot in the distance….except for her missles. "Man, how many people are gonna come here?" one of the Crows said, leaning against the all of the tomb, trying to get his bearings.

"It's poetic justice, I say! Her damn temper kept everyone away in droves when she was alive, now everyone gathers around this tomb now that she's dead!" They all laughed hysterically…only to end up moaning and holding their temples. "Oh….man…..why did we finish that champagne last night?"

"Cause we were still celebrating! And we got a lot to celebrate….after all, it ain't everyday you get rid of your main pain in the neck and therefore get free run of Tokyo!" They both started laughing…which made them also rub their temples and hold their stomachs in agony. "Oh…never, never, never, never again!!"

"Oh, man…I think I'm gonna be sick…" the first Crow said.

"Go ahead, I won't bother you," the second one answred,

"Right here?"

"why not? Not like she can step out of this place and stop us! So we dirty up her little flowers, so hat? She ain;t never gonna small m!" They laughed again. The first one stood up and staggered a bit, holding his stomach…until a noise startled both of them.

"Geez, someone's here!" He said, tugging at the other Crow, "Come on, we gotta hide! Somebody's here!" They ducked behind a large nearby monument and listened. The sick Crow passed out in his friend;s arms and he silently laid him next to him on the ground.

Speedy made his way to the tomb clutching a huge bunch of rainbow colored flowers. He knelt down by the front of the tomb not looking to the left or to the right and laid them down. "Hi, Polly," he said, sitting down next to the door. "How are you doing? Good, I hope. Nothing much is going on, the week of Mourning is still going on, so it's really silent around here. I'm just glad we can still talk." The Crow whistled to himself upon hearing that. "Ya know, I think that Guido really IS getting serious about Lucielle. I haven't seen him flirt with anyone at all except her, and no, frogs didn't fall from the sky! I hope ya like the flowers I got for you, I know you wanted flowers like that when we got married. I even threw in some Lotus Blossoms…right there. I hope you like them, they're as beautiful as you are! Polly…honestly, I think this is the best part of this whole day, just sitting down and getting the chance to talk with you. You remember our place on the bridge where we sit and just talk…we'd work out our problems or just share secrets on that special place." He sighed. "Not a day goes by when I don't walk on that bridge and think of you."

_The flowers you gave me  
are just about to die  
when I think about  
what could've been  
it makes me want to cry_

The sweet words you whispered  
didn't mean a thing  
I guess our song is over  
as we begin to sing

Could've been so beautiful  
could've been so right  
could've been my lover  
every day of my life  
could've been so beautiful  
could've been so right  
I'll never hold what could've been  
on a cold and lonely night

The memories of our lovin'  
still linger in the air  
like the faded scent of your roses  
stay with me everywhere

Every time I get my hopes up  
they always seem to fall  
still what could've been is better than  
what could never be at all.. at all

Could've been so beautiful  
could've been so right  
could've been my lover  
every day of my life  
could've been so beautiful  
could've been so right  
You can hold what could've been  
on a cold and lonely night

could've been so beautiful  
Could've been so right  
You can hold what could've been  
on a cold and lonely night

How can you hold what could've been  
on a cold and lonely night

The Ninja Crow shook his head. "Oh boy," he thought. "The Cat is slipping away! He's totally losing it!" His head snapped up. "wait'll I tell Big Cheese! wE got it made! No way he'll be able to stop us lost in that fantasy world!"

"Yeah, Polly…I hope that I can stand on that bridge…right in our spot..and I can see you! You said you saw my face in the stars…I hope I can see yours, and we can talk, just the way we're doing now…" by that time Al had come up to the tomb looking for Speedy and stopped long enough to hear this conversation. "So…will you meet me, right on that spot…and talk to me.." he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Al.

"Hello, Speedy," he said.

"Hi, Al."

"Speedy, come back to the Pizza Parlor, everyone's looking for you. "

"Polly, look, Al came!"

"Hello, Polly," Al said to the tomb. "Speedy, come back to the Parlor."

"Aw gee, Al, do I have to right now?"

"I'm afraid so, Speedy. Come on," Al said, helping Speedy to his feet.

"OK.." He turned to his parent's tomb. "Keep an eye on her, Mom and Dad." He stared silently at the grave for a long while. "I don't have a soul mate anymore," he whispered as Al put his arm around him and they started back. On their way they passed over the bridge Speedy had talked about. Al noticed someone leaning against it in the same way Polly did.

"Hey!" He called out, startling the parson. "Someone's standing there!" The person backed away and Speedy gave Al a grateful look.


	14. If I had Only Known

Francine leaned against the ovens with her arms folded in front of her, looking down. Good Bird and Carla had come over to try to offer support, and they were sitting in one of the booths. Guido had gone over to see Lucielle, and Speedy had gone to "see Polly". Francine was getting more and more scared. It seemed all Speedy wanted to do nowadays was visit the grave…that was the only thing that let him come out of his room. She gazed around the room….around the silent, dark room of the pizza parlor. Around this place that used to be filled with joy and laughter…at the place at the counter where her dear friend used to be. She recalled happy times, when Polly would handle cooking and taking orders with a happy smile and cheerful ways. Without her the place seemed deserted, ghost-like. Francine looked at one of the ovens and cringed as another memory came back to her…this one not pleasant at all! A memory that happened not that long ago..in fact, just a few days before Polly died.

Polly raced into the restaurant with buldging shopping bags, nearly running into Francine. "Polly, where have you been?" Francine asked. "Ya took off without even telling me!"

"Francine, I told you, I was going out early to get what I needed for tonight! Speedy and I are having a special date tonight..and it's very meaningful for me, cause I'm gonna cook the entire dinner myself!" with trembling hands she took out a bright red dress from one of the bags. "How's this? Do you think this is nice? Not too fancy?" Francine looked at her incredulously. " I know I'm pretty nervous, I just want this to go over well. This is one of the turning points in our relationship, after all. This is the first time I'm cooking the whole dinner." She took out a package of dinner rolls and put them on a baking sheet, turning on the oven.

"when did you get this desire to be a housewife?" Francine asked.

"Shut up," Polly snapped. She walked over to the fridge and opened it, glancing inside. "Francine, what's all this meat doing in the fridge?"

"In case you've forgotten, this is a pizza place! I need that meat!" Francine turned the oven up, finished making a roll of dough into a pizza crust, added sauce and lots of cheese.

"Francine, please, I can't get through to my vegetables!"

"OK, OK, don't get so upset, I got things to do as well!" Francine took out the meat and set it on a nearby table.

"well, I need them to finish my salad…Francine, where's my tomato?"

"Huh?"

"I had 2 tomatoes in here to use for my salad, now there's only one."

'Oh, I'm sorry, I must have used it for the tomato sauce!"

"Francine, how could you do that, I was saving that tomato special for Speedy!"

"I said I was sorry, it looked to me like an ordinary tomato! Didn't have a name on it or anything!" Polly sighed and set the table outside with a white tablecloth and put candles in the silver holders. She returned to the kitchen and Francine sniffed the air. "Something smells."

"OH, MY ROLLS!" Polly cried, getting a potholder and taking them out. "Look at them, they're all burned! How did the oven get up to 500?!"

"I did that, I was getting it ready for my pizzas! Excuse me," Francine pushed her way to the oven

"well, didn't you see my rolls?"

"I don't think so, I was getting my pizzas ready."

"well ya just went and ruined my whole dinner!"

"Not the whole dinner, just the rolls!"

wEll, with Speedy the rolls are the best part of the chicken teriaki!"  
Huh?"  
"well, how do you expect him to sop up the sauce?!"

"what do you want me to do?!"

"I don't know, all I know is ya ruined my dinner!!"

Francine looked at her. "who are you?!" she asked.

"Someone who's wondering what she's gonna serve her boyfriend now!"

"God, I don't believe this! A few months ago you 2 were fighting over this and that, battling, arguing, now you're falling all over yourself to make him dinner! Look at you, all tiptoeing through the tulips, 'la dee da', so in love with this same guy who you threw that cash register at!"

Polly was enraged at that and stormed off. "excuse me for LIVING!!!"  
"Just serve sushi!" Francine called out.

Francine stood pained at that fight they had had. The worst part as that she had not even had a chance to apologise at all before Polly was so tragically killed. Sobs once again overtook her and she covered her face. She felt a hand rub her back and looked up to see Guido. She leaned against Guido's chest crying against his chest. "Shh…it's OK, let it out, let it out.." Guido comforted her.

"Oh, Guido," she whispered. "I'm so sorry for everything! It's…it's just been so hard for me!!"

"I know, I know, it's hard for all of us, Francine. I understand. Go ahead, it's alright, let it out."

Francine pulled away and stared at the ground. "You ever say things that you really honestly wish you could take back?"

Guido sat down near Good Bird. "Yep, I do. when Lucielle and I first started going out, she mentioned that when Speedy broke up with her he spoke about me in glowing terms and said I was the best one for her. I wished right then I could take back all the stuff I said to him all those times when we fought."

Francine sat down next to him and buried her head in her hands. "Polly and I….we had a huge fight a few days before….before…and I never got a chance to tell her..I was sorry…" Carla put her arm around Francine as she cried even harder.

"There, there," Carla said. "Polly must know you didn't mean it. She knows you love her, it's OK."

"Oh, God, Polly, I'm so sorry!!!" Francine sobbed.

"well, gentlemen, are all systems go?" Cheese said, looking at the newest robot with pride.

"You betcha, Cheesy! Taking out these Cats is gonna be a piece of cake!"

"especially with Speedy in the state he's in, he won't care if we do a dance on the Palace's doorstep!! He don't care about anything!" They all laughed. "it's gonna be wonderful!"

"I wonder, are you incurably deranged or is it temporary?"

"Ha,ha,ha!! I'm in such a good moud I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that! Now, shall we begin?" and he began to climb into the robot.

Al appeared on the monitor. "Hello?" He called. Francine whiped her eyes and went to answer it. "Francine, are Guido, Good Bird, and Speedy there with you?"

"Good Bird and Guido, but not Speedy."

"well, this is a dire emergency, Big Cheese has been spotted again!"

"I'll get him!" Guido said, taking off. '

Speedy as sitting by the entrance to the tomb with his head down into his lap. Guido ran over. "Speedy!"

Speedy looked up. "what?"

"Big Al's on the phone, he needs ya back at the pizza parlor right away!"

"what for?"

"It's Big Cheese, he's finally crawled out of hiding and he's at it again!"

Speedy slowly stood up. "Big Cheese is finally back here?"  
His glassy, unfocused eyes slowly grew with firey determination. "That unfeeling, cold-hearted, nasty son of a bitch killer is BACK?!?! He made a fist with his hand. "That killer..that murderer!!! If he thinks he's getting away with murdering the girl I loved, he's got another think coming!!!"


	15. For Her Memory

The song is 'Where I Used to Have A Heart' by Martina McBride.

As soon as Speedy got back to the Pizza Parlor he jumped right into his oven and suited up along with Guido. Good Bird put on his armor, and after a hug from Carla he flew off to join them after Francine shot them out of the gun. Speedy stared straight ahead, one fervent goal deep in his mind- to find Big Cheese and make him pay for Polly's death.

AS soon as they reached the main part of Little Tokyo they caught sight of what was perhaps the ugliest robot any of them had ever seen! It was easily over 10 feet tall and a dull yellowish color. wEired looking wires and switches were all over and huge heels rested on the bottom. "Oh brother," Good Bird mumbled. "Of all the butt ugly robots this jackass could come up with…"

Speedy himself jumped right in front of the machine. "Big Cheese ya stinkin coward!!!!! Get out from that monstar and get down here now!!!  
"why do ya want me to?!" he spoke from the monstar.

"You cold blooded inhuman beast! You took the life of the one I love!!!" Speedy cried out.

"HAH HA, HA, HA!!!! You should thank me! Thanks to me Little Tokyo is gonna be a hell of a lot more peaceful without her huge mouth! All of you personally owe me an I.O.U. for life for rubbing out that stick-in-the-mud! Think about it, I spared you many more headaches with a frying pan, no more cash registers to the noggin, no more sticklers for being on time or getting your pie delivered toot sweet! Nice, silent, peaceful, don't ya love it!"

"SHUT UP!!!" Speedy said. "SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH YOU ASS!!!! That's the spirit of my one true love you're browbeating!"

"Didn't your mother teach you it's not polite to curse? Go home and wash your mouth out with soap. I don't know what's wrong with you but come to reality! You claim you loved her? HAH, May I ask why?!"

"Because she as courageous brave, caring, honest, and her heart as made of gold, which is a lot more than I can say about any of you you disgusting imbeciles!'

"Imbecile, huh? Oh yes, if I can recall one of her many terms of endearments to you! Oh yes, I can see why you loved her, oh isn't it obvious?! with such wonderful ways of speaking to you I'm surprised you didn't propose on your first date! what are ya, a masochist? Or are you just sick with little self esteem?"  
"Cheese, I swear to God you better stop making fun of her right now!!"  
"God, you're delusional! will you think for once?! It's a blessing I got rid of her! what did she ever give to you besides taunting and headaches?"

"Love you jerk, that's what she gave to me!!! Love, you know that word? "

"Sure, and I know she never gave any of that to you! Or if she did it sure was funny how she did! You all raising her to almost sainthood, she wasn't that grat and you know it! She did not deserve all that praise and all your tears!! Betcha three-fourths of those people ere GLAD that she's gone!!!"

" Aw, SHUT UP!!!!!"

"who said that? Bad Bird, is that you ya traitorous tin turkey?!"

"Right voice, wrong name ya brain dead jerk! It's GOOD Bird now, and I fight on the side of justice! You're about to pay for your horrid deed, Seymour! Scaring people with giant robots or stealing from the treasury is bad enough, but to resort to cold blooded murder?! That's going TOO FAR, even for you! "

"Thank you, Bad Bird, I knew you wouldn't disappoint me!"

"It's GOOD BIRD YOU IGNORANT DUMMY!!!!"

"who cares?! Ninjas, get them, start with the traitor first!!"

"I don't think so, Pal!" Good Bird cried as the Ninjas all surrounded him. Using his skills as a former Ninja Crow he easily took out all the ones surrounding him. Guido used his umbrella as a club, taking them all out one by one. Speedy took out three at a time. They all went down easily as Speedy kept both eyes on the robot that contained the demon which took the life of his only love. As soon as all the Crows were down on the ground Speedy made his way over to the machine.

"Cheese, ya damn coward, get down out of that thing so I can see ya face to face!"

"Yeah!" Guido said, "Come on, Tuna Breath! what you did affected all of us, now all of us wanna settle the score!!!"

"Oh yes, kill me! Just reach in and slit my throat, that solves everything, doesn't it?! Yeah, I got magical powers inside of me! You kill me and she instantly comes back! My blood spilled on the ground instantly makes her come out of her grave alive and breathing! Ya discovered my secret! Poor little deluded Speedy! At night when the pizza parlor closes down Speedy walks through a silent town and loves a girl that's not around!! HA, HA!!!" Speedy then grabbed his sword and started to dash toward the robot. "Yeah come on, come on, kill me!! I dare ya! That's really gonna bring her back!!! God, what is wrong with you?!?! You think taking my on life that's instantly gonna bring her back?! Go on, go ahead, kill me, go ahead!! Yeah, and she'll come right back!" Speedy took stock still for a moment, his face beginning to form tears. Guido stared, horrified.

"Hey, chedder breath, SHUT UP!!!" Good Bird said.

"Make me ya traitor, I'm just stating a fact! Go ahead, do this and see here it gets ya! Ya gonna be the same as you were before! Lonely and bitter!"

"Stop!!" Guido said./

"Yeah, lonely and bitter and nothing changed.."

'I SAID STOP IT!!!!!" Guido said.

Speedy's expression had by that time turned from grief to anger.

"So if you will kindly let us pass through, we can go on with our plans and you can go on with your crying and moaning over a hothead who's better off dead!! Hey why even bother waiting for you to move, I'll just start taking out Tokyo right now!" He raised one arm and pulled a trigger, sending Guido flying with a lazer beam."

That did it.

Speedy's cheeks were a bright red, "THAT'S IT, Cheese! I've just about had it with your huge mouth!!! It's bad enough you chose to show your face after taking Polly's life, but to constantly insult her name and threaten Tokyo with that tinkertoy..….that's more than I can stand!!!" He held his sword high in the air and pink energy surrounded it, collecting into his shelth and unleashing his Ginzu Sword, which he crossed in front of him.

"Hang on, Buddy, I'll join ya!" Guido said standing on his umbrella and gathering blue energy.

"wait for me!" Good Bird said, getting red energy into his own sword.

"THIS IS FOR POLLY!!!" Speedy cried, forming the Cat Slash and unleashing it.

"Azure Dragon Fire!" Guido cried.

"Thunderbird!" Good Bird said. The combined impact was enough to send the robot shattering into pieces and Cheese to go flying.

"Jerry, the raft!!" Cheese cried as he headed for the ocean. Immdidately Jerry put their backup plan into effect and rowed a newly built raft into the ocean, following here Cheese as flying. Finally Cheese landed right in the middle of it. Jerry then swiftly rowed them back to the cave.

Speedy twirled his sword. "Time to do our pose, guys!" Guido moved to his usual spot on the right, Good Bird took Polly's place to the left. "TAH- DAH!!"

Speedy looked at Good Bird. He knew Good Bird was trying to help, but the place still felt so empty without Polly there. Big Cheese's words echoed in his ears 'This ain't gonna bring her back!"

Guido gazed at his friend, concerned at what he saw. "Hey, Speedy? You OK?"

Speedy Gazed at the empty spot…and the emptyness in his heart grew

Where I used to have a heart  
Feels like a mile wide ditch  
I've got a hole inside  
The doctor just can't stitch  
Gone without a trace  
You left a hollow place  
There's not a stone to mark  
Where I used to have a heart

There were times when I would hold you  
And feel the pounding in my chest  
Now I'm just as empty as a canyon way out west  
That's how deep I loved you  
Babe, I love you still  
To the bottom of this space I'll never fill

Where I used to have a heart  
Feels like a mile wide ditch  
I've got a hole inside  
The doctor just can't stitch  
Gone without a trace  
You left a hollow place  
There's not a stone to mark  
Where I used to have a heart

I guess I'll learn to live with  
A different kind of pain  
I'm suffering from a sickness  
I cannot give a name  
It's such a strange sensation  
I've never known before  
Missing you has cut me to the core

Where I used to have a heart  
Feels like a mile wide ditch  
I've got a hole inside  
The doctor just can't stitch  
Gone without a trace  
You left a hollow place  
There's not a stone to mark  
Where I used to have a heart

Carla had her arm around Francine as once again she started sobbing "There, there. It's OK. You were a good friend to her. She was lucky to have you in her life!"

"NO, she wasn't!!" Francine sobbed. "I never got a chance to say I'm sorry..  
"Tell her now!" Lucielle said.

"How?" Francine asked.

"Just talk to her!" Lucielle said. "I do all the time. "

"She's here, Francine!" Carla said. "Not in body, but in spirit. Her spirit is all over this pizza parlor! Just look up to Heaven and talk to her. Have faith that she'll hear you, and she'll forgive you!"

Francine then looked up. "Polly….I'm sorry about our fight. I'm really very sorry!!! Honest, if I could go back in time I'd take back everything! Please forgive me!"


	16. Sukaya

The song is 'The Rose' by Bette Midler

Speedy, Good Bird, and Guido came into the Pizza Parlor. Carla jumped up and hugged Good Bird quickly. Lucielle did the same with Guido. Francine looked at them and glanced at Speedy, finally hugging him, causing Speedy to smile sadly at her. "Great work, guys!" Francine said, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "I'm glad you gave that horrid monstar a what for!"  
"Yeah.." Speedy said, staring out of the window as Cheese's cruel words came back to him again, _'Like that's going to bring her back!' _He sat down upon the booth and grinned half heartedly with his arms folded. "So, Francine, how about something cold to drink?"  
Francine smiled. "You got it, Speedy!" She poured out ice-cold Pepsis and handed them out.  
Carla made her way up to where the jukebox was and made a selection. "I think this calls for some nice music!" But when the first few notes of the song began to play, Guido, Lucielle, and Francine gasped.  
"No, not THAT song!" Guido cried.  
"No, turn it off!!! Francine cried.  
"Oh, no!" Lucielle said. It seemed like they all stared as one at Speedy. Speedy's hands twitched at the words of the song..

_Some say love, it is a river  
that drowns the tender reed  
Some say love, it is a razer  
that leaves your soul to blead  
_

He gulped as he felt the tears coming back to him. His breath came in short gasps and finally he just stood up. "Excuse me," he mumbled as he ran up to his room and slammed the door. Carla looked on puzzled.

_Some say love it is a hunger  
an endless aching need  
I say love it is a flower  
and you it's only seed  
_

"What happened? What...what did I do?"  
"That song! You played THE song!" Guido cried out.  
"What song?" Carla asked.  
"That song, 'The Rose'! That's Speedy and Polly's song!!"

_It's the heart afraid of breaking  
that never learns to dance  
It's the dream afraid of waking_

_that never takes the chance  
It's the one who won't be taken   
who cannot seem to give  
and the soul afraid of dying_

_that never learns to live _

"That's their song?!" Carla asked, horrified.  
"It was playing at the prom when Speedy and Polly went together," Guido explained sadly. "That was the first song played. When they hooked up they made it their song!"  
Carla looked like she was about to burst into tears. "Oh...oh NO!!! Oh, how could I DO such a thing?!"  
"It's OK, Carla, you didn't know," Good Bird said.

"But, oh, poor Speedy!! How could I have done that?!" She ran out the door bursting into tears.  
"No, No, Carla, it's OK, it' not your fault!"  
Carla raced out of the Pizza Place in tears of shame while Good Bird, Francine, and Guido followed trying top comfort her. Lucielle staid behind, glancing where Speedy went before going upstairs.

_When the night has been too lonely   
and the road has been too long  
and you think that love is only  
for the lucky and the strong  
Just remember in the winter_

_far beneath the bitter snows  
lies the seed  
that with the sun's love  
in the spring  
becomes the rose  
_

Lucielle reached Speedy's door and knocked on it. She detected a voice chocking with sobs.  
"GO AWAY!"  
Lucielle knocked again. "Speedy? It's me."  
"I didn't ask who is it, I said go away."  
"And I ignored you," Lucielle said, pushing open the door and entering. She found Speedy curled up on his bed crying in the direction of his picture of Polly. Lucielle had to hold in her own tears she had never seen anyone so sad and miserable. She walked over and sat on a chair near the bed, taking Speedy's hand. "Speedy," she said. "I know I can't FULLY understand what you're going through...but I want you to know that you're not alone in this. I'm hurting as well. God I think about her all the time. We've talked every day since I met her in third grade! I mean, I never loved her like you did, but I loved her too, in my own way. She was like a sister to me. I know it's different from how you felt, and I won't try to pretend I understand fully...but I want you do know that if you feel like...you know..talking..I know I'm dating Guido, but I'll always be here for you. Polly would want all of us to stay together, to be here for each other." Speedy nodded. "I know you're not mad at Carla, she didn't know.." Speedy shook her head. "And if you want I can ask Francine to remove the song from the jukebox, if that'll help." Speedy just nodded again. "Oh, I wish I knew what to say...anything to say.."  
"It's OK, Lucielle..just knowing you care.." Speedy said. "Polly always spoke good of you...she loved hanging with you."  
"She loved being ith you, Speedy."  
"Lucielle.." Speedy cracked and held his head in his hands. "WHY?!?!" He sobbed with grief and anger. Holding in her tears, Lucielle rubbed his back, comforting him.  
"Let's go downstairs," she said. Speedy nodded and Lucielle lead him out and they sat on opposite ends of the booth, Speedy sobbing and Lucielle just handing him tissues.

Meanwhile, in the Esther home, Sukaya was upstairs, in her sister's room. She didn;'t have too much of an appetite since her sister died,. and had taken to wearing the old hand me down clothes she had had that Polly outgrew. Right now she just wanted to sit here, in this old familiar room. She remembered when Polly was a kid and still living here. She had always looked up to Polly, her strong, brave older sister. The one who knowed no fear, who was reliable and at the same time always willing to comfort you if you were scared or lend an ear if you wanted someone to talk to. She remembered with a heavy heart how when she was a small kitten and she had bad dreams or nightmares she could run to her sister's room and crawl into her bed...and somehow that made her safer. "Who can defend me now?" she thought sadly. "Who can I rely on now?" she picked up her sister old traning katana, the one she would use to practice with after samurai Training. Sje remembered how Speedy would walk her back home after traning and they would practice together in the backyard. Sukaya held the sword the same way she always saw Polly hold hers. She took a couple of practice swipes. It wasn't so hard! She held she sword again. This sword was one of the few things she would ever have of her sister...thanks to Big Cheese. BIG CHEESE..she thought with anger. 'I HOPE YOU ROT IN HELL FOR THIS, YOU FREAK!!!"Her hand tightened around the sword in a familiar way...it almost felt right to hold this...she stared at the sword as something took shape in her mind..something that she could do that would honor her sister's memory and pay tribute top her life..and at the same time it would end up with a HUBGE payment from Big Cheese. Standing up she took a deep breath and went downstairs.  
Her Mother and father were sitting in the kitchen, drinking cups of tea and not saying too much. She wondered if this was the right time to tell them of her decision...but her mind was made up. She cleared her throat. "Mom? Dad?" They looked up sadly.  
"Hi, Honey," her Mom said. "Would you like some tea?"  
"No thanks, Mom. Mom? Dad? can I talk to you for a moment? I need to tell you something."  
"what is it, Honey?" Her face grew pale as she saw the sword she was holding. "Dear...why do you have your sister's old sword?"  
"MOm...I was thinking...ever since Polly died...Mom..I've been thinking of something I can do..to honor her...to remember her..and I've...been thinking...and I think..the best way.."  
"Sukaya, Honey, come out with it."  
Sukaya nodded and closed her eyes. "Mom, Dad..I want to become a Samurai." She opened her eyes and saw her Mother's face grew pale and her father stood with shock, finally taking his wife's hand as color came back to her cheeks. "Sukaya..why?"  
She stood straight. "Because..I want to honor Polly's memory..and I want to do it by following in her footsteps. I..I know I can't fully take her place..no one can. But if eventually I can stand and fight along with Speedy and Guido..fighting in my sister's position..I think that would be the biggest honor I could give to her!"  
"But..you saw what it did to your sister!! Honey..this is a dangerous line of work! you're putting your life on the line every single day! You could come back dead! Aren't you scared?"  
"I am," she admitted. "But..fear didn't stop my sister..and I won't let it stop me. I loved my sister dearly..and this is my way of honoring the best sister in the whole world. She did a lot for me..now it's my turn to do this for her!"  
Her mother had tears in her eyes and her father squeesed her hand. "Are you sure, Sukaya?" her father asked. "There's a lot of training involved."  
"I'm sure."  
"Well, we'll have to clear it with Al Dante..and Speedy and Guido will have to train you. But if this is what you want...to follow your sister...we won't stand in your way!" Sukaya hugged them.  
"Thank you, Mom and Dad. I think I'm going to the Pizza parlor to talk with Speedy and Guido right now!"

Sukaya pushed open the door of the Pizza Parlor and saw Guido sitting at one of the booths, staring into space. he looked up as she came in. "Hey, Sukaya."  
"Hi, Guido. Is anyone sitting here?"  
"Nah, go ahead." Sukaya sat down next to Guido. "How's your family doing, Sukaya?"  
"They're alright, considering," Guido nodded.  
"Give them my best. Think I'll pop in sometimes this week."  
"I think they'd like that. Guido, can I ask you something?"  
"Sure, anything."  
"Guido," Sukaya took a deep breath. "I've decided on something.."  
"Yeah?"  
"Guido..I want to become a Samurai. I want top follow in Polly's footsteps!" Guido stood back in surprise.  
"Ya want to be a Samurai? Really?"  
"Yes..I want to stand and fight with you and Speedy. I mean, Speedy would have been my brother in two months, so I feel it's right to fight with you guys...doing it in Polly's memory. I want top follow in her footsteps."  
"Well..ya know it's a lot of work and a lot of training. Ya have to practice at least a few hours every day..and it gets tougher as the time progresses. Are you sure you want to do this?"  
"Guido, I was never more sure of anything in my life. I want to follow in Polly's spirit..and fight with both of you. Will you and Speedy train me?"  
"Well, I think Speedy is still out of it.." he sighed a bit.  
"How is he doing?"  
"He' s still crying...hardly comes out of his room."  
"Poor thing."  
"Yeah.." Guido looked at her seriously. "But, Sukaya, if you're serious about this..I'll be glad to help train you. If Al Dante gives his permission, then meet me in the backyard of the Pizza parlor after your school day, around 3, and we can start."


	17. Reflections

-1"She did love her sister dearly," Polly's father explained to Al Dante as they walked down the courtyard of the palace. "To do this would mean the world to her."

"I admit it's very admirable," Al said. "But how do you and your wife feel about this?"

"Not too good," he admitted. "But this is Sakaya's decision. How can we say no if this is what she really wants to do?"  
Al Dante sighed heavily. "She does realise that it takes a lot of commitment and training?"

"She has taken all of that into account, and this is what she wishes."

"well, if this is what she wants to do, then she can start tomorrow. I'll have Guido begin training her as soon as possible, and Speedy as well as soon as…he feels better. I don't think he'll have a problem helping to train Polly's sister with Guido as soon as he gets back on his feet."

"How is Speedy doing?"

Al sighed. "Not too well from what I hear. He spends his days holed up in his room and won't let anyone else in, and when he does leave it it's only to visit Polly's grave!" Polly's father shook his head with worry.

Sayaka wandered back into her own room. It was still so hard to believe...had it been just a week ago...just one short week ago, that her sister had called her up, so happy, so excited about her upcoming wedding day...and then..just like that..she was dead. No matter how often she said that, it didn't make it any easier to believe. Dead. Dead. Dead. Grief struck Sayaka again, but she blinked back the tears. After all, she was going to become a Samurai soon, and that meant she had to be strong. Strong like her sister.  
Of course, her sister cried too. She had seen her cry. Sayaka closed her door and stared at her full-length mirror on the other side of it. She studied her face. people always said how much she had resembled her sister. Almost like a mini-version of her. Suddenly Sayaka had an idea. She ran to her dresser and rummaged through it until she found a pair of blue pants that had once belonged to her sister, but got passed down to her. She took off her on pants she was wearing and pulled them on. They hung low on her hips- she hadn't had too much of an appitite lately- but they still fit all right. She went to her closet and went through it until she found a pale white shirt her sister had practically lived in when she was 13. She pulled off her top and slipped the shirt on. She grabbed a straw hat her sister once owned and raced to the mirror. She gathered up her long red hair and tucked it under the hat so it was short like Polly's. She gazed into the mirror and stared. It looked like her own sister was smiling back at her.  
"Polly!' she said. "It's really you!" her reflection smiled back. "I love you," Sayaka said, and it looked like Polly was mouthing the words along with her. She reached out to touch her cheek...but instead of stroking her sister's soft fur, she just brushed against cold glass. Tears filled her eyes.  
_'It's no use pretending_," she thought. _'I'll never be like Polly_!" she leaned against the mirror. "_I'm not good enough. I'm not strong enough. I'm not HER_!!" she looked up...and it looked like her sister...her REAL sister...was staring back at her encouragingly.  
"Don't give up," it looked like she was saying. "Don't give up, you can do it, I believe in you!"

"I'm not you.." Sayaka said. "You had much more to teach me..I'm not ready.."  
"Yes, you are," her sister seemed to say in the mirror. "You are. I'm here for you..I always am. I'll never really leave you.." there was a knock on the door, startling Sayaka back to reality...and her sister's image disappeared. Sayaka got up from where she was kneeling on the floor.  
"Come in."

Her mother then entered and put her arm around her daughter. "How are you doing, sweetheart?"

She sighed. "Not too good, Mom."

"Still weeping for your sister's death? No, no, it's like that Funeral Director said, you can't wash her from her grave with tears. Even if you could you can't bring her back to life again."

"I know, Mom, but I can't help it…I miss her so much."

"I know, Dear. But you aren't crying so much for her death than that the villian lives that murdered her."

"I know, Mom. If only I could confront him myself and venge my sister's death."

"we'll have our vengence, don't worry. Then cry no more. As soon as both Speedy and Guido find where Cheese is I'll give them a dose of poison to fling on him so that he'll soon keep your sister company. Then I hope you will be satisfied."

"I won't be satisfied until that rat burns in hell! Mom, if you could get one of the boys to take the poison, I myself would mix it so that Cheese would soon drop dead and burn. I wish I could go myself to wreck the love I bore my sister on his body that took her from me!!"

"You find the poison, and I'll get the boys. But for now, I have some good news for you."

"I'd welcome some, Mom."

"well, your father and I talked to Al Dante…and he gave his permission for you to be a Samurai!" Sayaka hugged her mother tightly. "Guido did agree to help train you, and you can start tomorrow after school." She sadly smiled at her daughter. "You do your best, Dear. Go make your sister proud."

Francine blotted her eyes with a tissue and sniffled. Lucielle patted her hand. "There, there, Francine. It's alright."  
"No, no it's not," Francine said sadly. "How could I have done that to her?! WHy couldn't I just say I was sorry before she left?!"  
"Well, Francine, you couldn't very well know what was going to happen! I do admit, I would hate to have that over my head, though. She was my best friend as well and I miss her just as much.."  
"HA!" Francine said angrily, standing up with tears in his eyes. "You're a fine one to talk, Lucielle! From what I can remember YOU haven't been a winner for the 'Best Friend Of The Year' trophy yourself!"  
"Fran..."Good Bird began, knowing full well where this was going. But Francine was too filled with grief to even think straight.  
"What do you mean, Francine?"  
"Oh, you know damn well what I mean, Lucielle!! You got some gall standing there in front of me, saying I should calm down when YOU should be breaking down and holed up in your teahouse yourself begging for forgiveness!!"  
"But…why?"  
"WHY? WHY?! Are you THAT blind, Lucielle?! You couldn't see that you, you yourself, who calls herself a best friend..YOU…are so self-centered that you didn't know you were hurting your own pal?!"  
Lucielle's face grew pale. "What?! How..no..I..I would never…"  
"Oh, please!! I got in one fight with her! YOU, on the other hand, blazely ignored her feelings time and time again while you were basking in the attention of all your little admirers."  
Lucielle's face grew pale. "I…I don't know what you're talking about…I…I would never ignore Polly, she's like a sister to me."  
"Oh really?! THAT'S how you treat a sister?! Just blush and grin and act all Miss Innocent as all the boys surround YOU and not her…it's a blessing you only have a brother! All that time you let Speedy and Guido fight over you constantly, you liked it, come confess it! You LOVED it! You enjoyed seeing Speedy and Guido all over you…did you ever stop and think how POLLY felt about that?! You do NOT need 2 men!"  
"I know that! That's why I tried to stop the fighting!"  
"Why couldn't ya have just chosen one?"  
"I did!"  
"Sure, after Speedy took himself out of the running! How do you think that made me and Polly feel? You'd think YOU were the only woman around!! Polly had feelings for Speedy all this time, didn't ya know that?!  
"What? Polly said she didn't even know how she was feeling until Speedy almost died!"  
"And you bought that?! Open your damn eyes, Lucielle!! Look at what's around you! Don't you remember when you and Polly formed the Pointless Sisters? Didn't you see how Polly looked when the boys were all over you? Didn't you think there was a reason she was so angry and threw them out?!"  
"Yes, they were making faces.."  
"Before that, or were you so busy enjoying the attention that you didn't even think of her feelings? That you just ignore her being jealous and hurt?!"  
"Jealous? Hurt? Polly…was…hurt? You mean..she knew she liked him.."  
"She was hurt and jealous, Lucielle. You claimed to be her friend yet you never even noticed hurt feelings right in front of your nose! You're no friend, Lucielle!! You're far too self-centered to care about anyone.."  
"NO! I DID care.."  
"Balony!! You never did and you know it! If you did you would have seen how Polly was and stepped aside, but NOOOOOOO,. You couldn't even do THAT for her!! Your so called best friend. You got a hell of a nerve telling me to calm down."  
"But Polly never TOLD me…"  
"Did she even have to?! All you had to do was look! It was all over her face. I'm surprised she could even stand to look at you! If anything I paid more attention to her than you ever did, you self centered jezabelle!! Just get out of here, I don't wanna see you right now, and I do NOT need a sunroof. Just go!! Get out of my sight!" Near tears, Lucielle got up and left.  
On the way back to her teahouse Francine's sharp words cut the air around her. "Self centered jezabelle! Can't see hurt right in front of you…" But, that wasn't true…none of it was. She loved Polly…Polly was like a sister,…she could never hurt her!! That wasn't true...was it?  
Suddenly she stopped in her tracks as images formed in her mind. Images of her at the Pizza Parlor enjoying the attention from Speedy and Guido…but a small image was in the background…it was Polly…looking at that…and she looked a bit hurt and angry. Like a ninny Lucielle had thought this was because the boys were goofing off…but now she knew it wasn't. Now she saw her and Polly as the Pointless Sisters backstage. How fun it was to receive attention from the boys,…and Polly was next to her…  
Being ignored.  
Every single time.  
Pangs of guilt formed in Lucielle's heart. "_I AM a self centered jezabelle!! I was a terrible friend to her! I said Polly should have told me how she felt..oh God, she did…she did!!" _Soon a missle shower of guilt filled the air. 

A little later Lucielle was kneeling down in front of the tomb with Wally rubbing her shoulders so she didn't end up blowing up the tomb. As it was she couldn't stop crying. Laying a large amount of flowers at the foot of the tomb, she gazed up to Heaven, once again hearing Francine's words in her ears. '_You never cared at all! You never noticed she was so hurt!' _

Lucielle looked up into Heaven. 'Forgive me, Polly," she whispered, gasping on her words. "Forgive me! Oh, forgive me, please forgive me!" she held her head in her hands. WAlly rubbed her shoulders slowly but with more force than he had before. "I was so self-centered, I was so busy enjoying the attention, I never gave a thought to how it made YOU feel!! Oh, Polly, I am so sorry...I love you, you're my Pointless Sister! I never meant to hurt you! Oh, how could I have not seen…I'm a terrible person…oh this is all my fault!!"

WAlly held his sister's shoulders. "Little Sister, what are you talking about? How is this your fault?! YOU didn't mix the poison that killed her. YOU didn't load a dart with that stuff, and you sure as hell didn't fire it at her tail! You didn't have anything to do with this!"

"Oh Wally, I may as well have! If only I noticed before how she was feeling, maybe she would have had a chance to be married…maybe she could have had kittens already….had a chance to die happy…now she won't…that's never gonna happen now…and it's all my fault…if it weren't for me being so blind…I'll never forgive myself for this…never, never, never…" she sobbed again as Wally handed her a tissue and rubbed her back. "Oh, Polly…I'm so sorry…so sorry..if I could only go back in time, believe me I would have done things differently! I wouldn't have dated Speedy..I would have steered him to you!" She raised her eyes to Heaven. "Oh, God…I know it's not possible, but if only you could send her back, just for a moment. Just a minute, just to tell her I'm sorry.." Wally held her.

"It's OK, little sister..she knew you loved her, and she had Speedy for a while. She died happy, you know she did."

"Please, God, please tell her I'm sorry."


	18. All About You

-1The songs are a rewrite of 'Christmas Conga' by Cyndi Lauper, and 'The Way We Were' by Barbara Striesand

"So, Jerry, how's the newest robot coming along? Are we on schedule? I hope so."

"Right on course, Symoure. But, are you sure you want to try again so soon? As it is those Cats almost shot our feathers and tails off last time! They fought us fiercer than ever! I have a feeling they have their eyes peeled for us now and won't stop till they kill us or run us out of town."

"Ah, I don't think that won't be as big of a problem as we think if my hunches about Speedy are right." Just then two of his Ninjas he had sent to spy on the parlor landed. "well? Report."

"well, boss, turn out your hunches were right. Speedy's in really bad shape from what we managed to overhear from the roof. All he does is sit in his room, he won't come out, he hardly talks or anything!!"

"excellent. Oh, this is just what I had thought would happen! All we have to do is wait just a little while longer, then just sit back and watch Speedy Cerviche destroy himself!"

"Destroy himself, Symoure?"

"Of course! Judging by what the Crows just told us he can't last too much longer, either he'll be too weak from grief to fight or….the thing I most hope for will happen! THAT'S why I wouldn't let ya hit him that time. we don't have to do anything, he's doing a great job himself. wE just have to wait…and watch."

"wOw, that's actually a good plan, Cheesy…hope you're not ill."

"HA, HA, HA!! I feel so good I'm just gonna ignore that remark!" He turned to the Crows. "Good work, you two, I'll see to it you both get big raises as soon as I become emperior, now go off and have lunch."

"Oh boy, lunch break, lunch break!' The Crows cried and flew off.

"Ah, Jerry, I'm so happy I feel like dancing! Join me, won't ya?"

"Right behind ya, Cheesy!" Jerry stood behind him as they began to conga.

"Its time to make the victory punch  
Lets hang the streamers from the ceiling  
Bring out the old cheer  
Ring in the new year  
And get that happy feeling

we'll all have joy that never ends  
Happy times with all our friends  
Come on and hold my hips a little longer  
As we do the villan conga,  
Bonga, bonga, bonga, bonga  
Do the villan conga

The old white tree still looks good  
And Heroshi's potion got me thinking  
String up the new lights,  
Brighten the cold nights  
And get those baubles blinking

we'll all have joy that never ends  
Happy times with all our friends  
Come on and hold my hips a little longer  
As we do the villan conga,  
Bonga, bonga, bonga, bonga  
Do the villan conga

And then we'll put on party hats  
As my reign now starts beginning  
Turn on the yule log  
Spike up the champainging  
And begin to raise those taxes!

we'll all have joy that never ends  
Happy times with all our friends  
Come on and hold my hips a little longer  
As we do the villan conga,  
Bonga, bonga, bonga, bonga  
Do the villan conga 

Soon all the Crows as well as Heroshi, Jerry and Cheese were laughing and dancing around. Cheese clapped his hands together for attention. "All right, Ninjas!" They gathered around him. "I know Speedy, as our spies have said, is just a little bit away from cracking…but..I don't see any reason why we can't help speed the process along!" He grinned wildly. "Ninjas, I want you to keep close watch over Speedy…and don't let our Dear, darling Polly…may she lie in suffocation...HA, HA…get too far away from his thoughts. Do anything that would remind her of him! Play the flute under his bedroom window, bring her up in conversations he's likely to overhear…and above all..make sure he's miserable!"

"Oh ho,ho..no one can ever accuse us of not being helpful, huh, Symoure?"

Speedy was flipping through his photo album, stroking his hands over the plastic lining. There was Polly, looking sharp and beautiful in her brand new shiny red uniform with her gleaming sword in her shealth. One of her hands was on Speedy's shoulder, the other was on Guido's. All three were smiling from ear to ear. The caption on the bottom said 'Three-Of-A-Kind'. Speedy remembered when that picture was taken- right after they had been sworn in by Al Dante and made offical Samurai's of Little Tokyo. "_were we ever really that happy?_" Speedy thought half-heartedly. He turned another page and saw another photo of him and Polly at 14 in front of the beach when both of their families had vacationed together. Their arms were around each other's shoulders and the words 'Best Friends Forever' was written underneath it. "And to think all that time I was counting the days until Samurai Graduation," Speedy thought. If only he knew that the Samurai Training years would have been the best of his life, he never would have left Samurai School- never let Polly left. The years and events of his life with Polly flashed in his mind like old fashioned home movies..

Memries, (he was saving Polly from the bullies when they first met)  
Like the corners of my mind  
Misty water-colored memories (his walking Polly home that day)  
Of the way we were (He and Polly playing hide-and-seek in the park at 10)  
Scattered pictures, (Little Speedy and Polly on vacation on the beach as her mother takes a picture)  
Of the smiles we left behind (Speedy and Polly playing tag- slightly older)  
Smiles we gave to one another (The two of them practicing Samurai Training)  
For the way we were (Speedy, Polly, and Guido getting sworn in as Samurai)  
Can it be that it was all so simple then? (Polly answering phone- Stop Dragon My Cat Around)  
Or has time re-written every line? (Cats traveling through time- Samurai Savings Time)  
If we had the chance to do it all again (Polly, Speedy, Lucielle in recording studio- No Talent Guido)  
Tell me, would we? (Cats entering the tent, Polly has her hands on his shoulders, and they roll their eyes at Guido- All You Need Is Love)

could we?  
Memries, may be beautiful and yet (Polly, Speedy, and Guido all chocked up and then say 'PUT A SOCK IN IT! To Narrator- All You Need Is Love)  
What's too painful to remember (Polly and Speedy turning their backs on each other- Singing Samurai Sensation)  
We simply choose to forget (Speedy crying on Polly- Wet and Wild Weekend)  
So its the laughter (Polly laughing at Speedy's joke- Underground, Underwater, Undercooked)  
We will remember (Speedy opens the door to Guido's room with Polly, gets swamped by CD's- No Talent Guido)  
Whenever we remember…(Speedy and Polly face to face talking- Big Comet Caper)  
The way we were…(Speedy and Polly on a picnic)  
The way we were…(Speedy and Polly slow dancing in Parlor)

Speedy slowly got up and made his way over to the window, resting his head on the pane. So many years…so many memories…he didn't even know of a time Polly wasn't in his life! Without her he felt like half a Cat, she had become a true part of him!. It took all he had to literally drag himself to the pane, he felt like part of him was paralyzed. He gazed outside at the sun shining cruelly down on Little Tokyo. There was not a cloud in the sky and it looked like any other Spring Day. He looked upon the bright blue sky. He hoped Heaven, where Polly honestly was, was just like that now. He could almost see her floating in a place like that- caressed and loved. She truly deserved it. Suddenly he heard what sounded like a flute playing on the ground under his window. He leaned forward, one name coming from him. "Polly?" He leaned over some more. "Polly…" he looked all around him, but saw nothing at all. Sighing, he pulled himself in. "_It's official, I'm going crazy_," he thought to himself, sinking down on the carpet. He didn't even notice two Ninja Crows flying away from below the huge tree under his window.


	19. For My Best Friend

-1Guido entered his room and closed the door to it, standing for a moment in the silence. He still wasn't used to how quiet..how empty the Pizza Parlor felt without Polly's constant movements on the floor, her loud, commanding, yet friendly voice giving orders, answering the phone, or talking to Speedy in the intimate ways she did...without her knowing Guido was listening in. Guido curled up on his bed with a book, trying to read it..but he couldn't. Something was wrong. Things were so quiet and peaceful...TOO quiet. TOO peaceful! He had always chastised Polly for taking life too seriously, or saying she needed a socal life of her own. Now, though, he would have liked nothing better than to see his door pop open and Polly's impatient figure in the frame telling him to quit fooling around and get back to work pronto!  
Guido sighed and turned back to his book. He knew Francine was downstairs, but with the Parlor closed for a week what could she do but count the days until it opened? Thankfully that would happen any day now. He couldn't believe he was thinking this...but he was actually looking forward to work! It would give him something to take his mind off how one of his best friends was in a cold tomb...his other one was just a shell of his former self and spent his days holed up like a cocoon, never letting anyone else in.  
He remembered when he wished that Polly would just get a life, or stop bothering him, or just cool it with work and take a break...or persuade Fran to give them the day off every once in a while..

He didn't wish it now.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see the blindingly white wall on the other side of his room...the wall that separated his room from Polly's. No one could even go in there ever since she'd died and Fran had closed the door. He knew they'd have to go in eventually to clean it out and go through her things...but none of them were ready for that...not right now. He shielded his eyes and tried to concentrate on what he was reading. The silence in the whole place was deafening. He tapped his hand along the other wall and was surprised at the loud noise it made.  
"_Guido, what are you doing back so late?! You have work in the morning, and don't think we're cutting you any slack! Speedy's already home, he was home ages ago!! Where were YOU?!_" he could practically hear Polly's voice in his head chiding him. He had always asumed it would be easier to just relax without Polly bugging him all the time. But the harder he tried to read, the more aware he was of Polly's absence.

An absence he had to get used to forever.

He let out a quivering breath and stood up, tucking his book under his arm. All of a sudden he couldn't stand to spend another minute in this lonely place. He had to go somewhere else...maybe even to the park..or any place that was far enough. On the way out he passed Speedy's room. He hesitated for a moment. he knew Speedy was in really bad shape..and neither he nor Fran knew just what to do about it. Fran thought of calling a doctor, but Guido worried how Speedy might take that, or weather he would be cooperative to that at all. He stood there for a moment. He knew he hadn't always been nice to Speedy...but his friend needed him right now. He had to at least make an effort. He knocked on the door.  
"Yeah?" came a muffled voice.

'It's me, Speedy. Can I come in?"  
"If ya want to," came the reply. Guido walked into the room and took in the sight of Speedy. He was just sitting on the floor of his room, looking downtrodden, miserable. His face was pale, sullen, and glassy-eyed. He had his legs curled up to his chin and his arms wrapped around them.  
Guido walked over and sat next to him. "How're ya doing, Speedo?"  
Speedy shook his head, not even being able to speak.  
Guido squeesed his shoulder. "Hey, Buddy...I'm going to go over to the park for a few hours. Wanna come along?"  
"What'll I do at the park?" Speedy asked half-heartedly.  
"Ya know...maybe feed the ducks...walk around the path..get some fresh air. Come on, Buddy, I'll walk with ya."  
Speedy shook his head. "No..but thanks, Guido. I...I'm not in the mood right now."  
"Hey, ya know, tomorrow's Saturday. How about we round up the Rescue Team and play some poker?"  
"Nah."  
"But, come on, you love to play poker..."  
"Don't wanna play."  
"How about some checkers later? Just you and me? Up here? "  
Speedy pulled at a stray string in his rug. "OK,' he finally said. Maybe he can talk to Guido about the noise that he heard from outside his window. Nah, probably not. Maybe he would think Speedy had gone crazy..or maybe not. But he couldn't keep it inside. He might tell Guido about it in a few more days...just first he should see if he heard it again! Maybe he was imagining the flute...or maybe Polly was trying to contact him from beyond the grave! Could be! Maybe she was trying to tell him she was alright, and she was happy. Speedy sighed when Guido left. "_Oh, Polly_," he thought, looking at her picture. "_I know you're telling me you're happy..but that doesn't comfort me. Maybe it's selfish...but, I'm miserable!! I don't know if that makes me a bad boyfriend or what. But...it hurts...just..it hurts so much. First I lost my parents...now I lost you!!_' he sobbed into his legs. "Everyone I love dies!! It's probably a good thing I broke up with Lucielle, or she'd die too!" he looked up. "I know you're an angel up there..like my parents are. But it doesn't change this emptiness I'm feeling inside...it's worse than anything I've ever felt. I don't think Guido would understand.." he whispered. "I don't know if anyone would!" he hoped against hope he would hear the flute again. He HAD to hear Polly! HAD to know she WAS trying to talk to him!

The next day Lucielle was walking down the road, her mind still on Polly and how she was such a horrible friend to her. She knew Wally was trying to comfort her...but it just didn't work. Every time she looked at her small shrine to Polly she had in her teahouse it just kept coming back how hurt Polly had been all this time and how Lucielle had not seen it. She wished with all her heart it was possible to go back in time so she could TRY to make it up to Polly before she had passed away. Suddenly a HUGE holler erupted through the square. Lucielle held her hands over her ears in pain. Without even looking, she knew who that belonged to!  
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE'RE ALMOST OUT OF GOLD?!" Princess Vi was screaming at the top of her lungs. "IF I SAY THIS STATUE IS BEING BUILT IN A WEEK, IT'S BEING BUILT IN A WEEK, IS THAT CLEAR?!"  
"But...but..but, Princess, please! Ever since Symore stole from the treasury we've been trying to build enough money...but we don't have enough yet! The gold we have is almost gone!"  
"Your highness," another worker said. "Couldn't it be just a small statue? I doubt her family would care.."  
"YOU UNGRATEFUL, COLD HEARTED MORONS!! DO YOU NOT REMEMBER ALL THE THINGS THIS WOMAN HAS DONE FOR ALL OF YOU?! DO YOU NEED ME TO REFRESH YOUR MEMORY ON HOW MANY ROBOTS THE SAMURAI PIZZA CATS HAVE DEMOLISHED?! DO I NEED TO TELL YOU ALL AGAIN HOW SHE AND GUIDO SAVED US FROM THE RUDE NOISE?! WELL, DO I HAVE TO?! THIS WOMAN GAVE HER LIFE...HER LIFE!! SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN MARRIED IN TWO MONTHS! BUT SHE GAVE HER LAST BREATH FOR ALL OF US AND THE LEAST WE CAN DO IS HONOR HER WITH A LIFE SIZE STAUE, AND IT'S TO BE DONE BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?! NOW, THIS STAUE IS LIFE SIZE, IS THAT CLEAR?!"  
"Yes," all the workers chorused.  
"But your highness, where are we gonna find some more gold?"  
"I don't care! just find some!" This statue MUST be built in a week. We owe it to her!" Vi turned and, flounced by about 20 bodyguards (she made sure to double up on her bodyguards ever since Polly's murder) left the workers. The workers huddled together, whispering in a state of panic.  
"What are we gonna do?"  
"I don't know, how are we supposed to get that much gold?"  
"It can't be life size, that's for sure!"  
Lucielle overheared this, and an idea came to her. She raced back to her teahouse and went to a bright white locked cabinet. There she took out something very special to her- a large, beautiful tea set that had belonged to her mother. It was large, ornate...and made entirely of gold! Without even hesitating she carried the tea set to the workers. "Excuse me," she said. "I couldn't help but overhear you say you needed more gold to build Polly's statue?"  
"Yeah, I'm afraid we do," a worker said. "It can't be life size, that's for sure!"  
Lucielle held out the tea set. "Will this do? I assure you it's made entirely of gold. I never use it. Please, take it and melt it down for your statue!"  
The worker stared at the beauty of it. "Well..I mean..Miss Omitzu, it's lovely. Are you sure ya want to give it to US?! We're only gonna melt it down..."  
"Yes," Lucielle said without hesitating. "I want you to take this and use it to make the statue. We owe it to Polly, because of her bravery and selflessness. I don't have any need for this at all, and Polly was my best friend. This is the least I can do to help honor her. Please take it."  
Sylvia was walking down the street and overheard Lucielle. She took off two gold bracelets. "Take my bracelets, too! They can't do much, but I think they'll help."  
"Are you sure?"  
"The Pizza cats rescued my son after he was kidnapped. This is the least I can do for them!"  
"Take mine too!' came another girl duck, coming to join them with her own bracelets.  
"Take my earrings, I don't need them!' came another voice.  
Soon a lot of people lined up to donate their gold to the workers. Lucielle picked up some baskets as did Sylvia. "Think of Polly, think of what she did for all of you!! Break off your earrings, bring any little gold statues you may have! Give them here, give them for Polly!"  
"The Cats saved my store! Take this tiny statue I have!"  
"This is a small little pin, but if it can help you can have it."  
"Take my gold chain. I don't need it!"  
"Polly was wonderful, here take my necklace so we can all honor her!"  
Lucielle lifted her eyes to Heaven. "Look, Polly," she thought. "It's all for you!" her eyes filled with tears, which she quickly blinked away. 'I love you, Polly. I know I can't fully make it up to you, what I did. But I hope this in a small way shows you JUST how sorry I am!"

A little while later Speedy was sitting in a booth in the Pizza parlor trying to eat...but spending more time picking on the pizza on his plate. He shaped the uneaten pieces of pepperoni into the form of an angel. Suddenly the door opened and two Ninja Crows in disguise entered. Francine approached them.  
"I'm sorry, we're closed. We're going to reopen tomorrow morning."  
"Oh, but can't we have a little something for now? We just got back in from a vacation and we're so hungry!"  
Francine looked in the fridge. "I have two frozen pieces of pizza."  
"Yeah, that'll do," One disguised Crow said as he and his companion sat at a booth, making sure it was the one next to Speedy.

Speedy didn't even notice, just concentrated on patting the extra pepperoni into wings on either side of the angel. "_Does Polly have wings now?" _he thought, staring at the sky. "_I'm sure she does...she's an angel now. Hey, at least, when she flies she doesn't have to worry about crashing into things!"_  
One of the Crows cleared his throat. "So," he said, speaking to make sure Speedy heard him. 'It's pretty tragic what happened to that Samurai, isn't it?"  
"Oh yeah, what was her name? The girl..what was her name? Polly! Oh yeah, sad to hear how she bought the farm like that. So tragic!" Francine stiffened up as she brought the pizza and cleared her throat loudly, glancing at Speedy sitting next to them.  
"What? All in the

world that I said was that it's tragic that Polly...who was so young and so pretty...man, guess it's true, only the good die young, am I right?"  
"Yeah I heard Polly was supposed to get married really soon. Such a shame. Dead, dead, dead...'  
Francine looked at Speedy nervously. Speedy stiffened up, feeling Fran's eyes on him. "_She thinks just hearing Polly's name is gonna set me off!" _He thought. He looked up, trying to reassure Fran...but no words came out. He tried to breath, his breath came shakily, due to tears building up in his stomach and working his way up to the surface. He tried to stand, but his legs shook. Finally he managed to run upstairs and close the door. 


	20. Blinded By The Silence

The song here is originally 'Twenty years Ago' be Kenny Rogers. I changhed some words to fit the story.

Also, the Code of Bushido which is what Guido is called out on is a real code that Samurais have to swear by as they take their oaths as Samurai. It's a strict moral code, and if A Samurai called out on it, the next question asked of him HAS to be answered truthfully, or else the person asking could be allowed kill the samurai for going against the oath or force him to commit hara-kiri. Called upon the oath, the Samurai MUST answer truthfully.

_One light, one mind _

_Flashing in the dark _

_Blinded by the silence of a thousand broken hearts _

_"Blinded by the Silence"- Greenday _

The next day Francine had opened up the Parlor after the National Week of Morning was over. In a little while the place was filling up with customers, all stopping to say how sorry they were over what had happened to Polly and how much she was still missed. Speedy tried to hold out for the sake of the restaurant, taking out the deliveries as best he could. After all, it wasn't that easy to move when your feet felt like lead plates. But Francine knew in his current state of mind the cruelest thing she could do was scold him or urge him on.  
"Sausage and peppers? All right, we'll have it out as soon as we can. Please be a little patient, we're all going through a rough time. Thank you." she hung up and turned to Speedy. "Speedy?"  
Speedy turned where he was sitting at a nearby booth with his arms folded. He lifted his head heavily. "Yeah?"  
"One sausage and pepper pizza for the Bulldogs."  
Speedy slowly stood up. "OK," he said, taking it and making his way out the door while Francine watched worriedly.

Speedy made his way down to the Bulldog's place, keeping his head lowered to the ground, dragging the pizza carrying case as if it weighed three hundred pounds. Several people looked at him with pity, others tried to talk to him or just to wave…but he didn't even look up. He couldn't...all around him were memories of Polly. Every building he passed he knew he was with Polly at one point or another- ether it was fighting Cheese on top of the building, having dinner together at a restaurant, or just walking past the building itself…Polly was there, right next to him. Her memory was everywhere! It would never go away!

Suddenly Speedy's head snapped up as he heard it…flute music! The music seemed to be all around him! "Polly!" he thought. Polly…she had returned from the grave! He looked around and saw a shadow as it ran into a dark ally. "Hey!" he called out, jumping up, "Stop! WAit! Hold it!! Polly? Polly, is that you? Is that you, Polly? Stop, just let me see you!! Let me see your face! Let me TALK to you!" But it was no use…when he got to the alleyway, the figure had disappeared. Sitting down on a plane of wood weakly, Speedy set the pizza down between his legs, unable to go any further. He knew he was on the job…but he began to cry. Dry heaves escaped from the pit of his stomach. Polly wasn't there, that wasn't her!! She could not come back from the grave! It was hopeless, he couldn't do this! Polly was everyhere! _Polly. Polly. Polly. Polly, _his soul seemed to cry out. He knew he had to make it to the Bulldogs with the pizza…he had to force himself to move! The emptiness in the pit of his stomach widened, the hole inside him grew. He tried to ignore the raw, quiet darkness in his soul, but unfortunately on the way to the Bulldogs he had to pass his old schoolyard…correction..his and POLLY'S old schoolyard…and the memories came flooding back.

_Its been quite a while since I walked  
Through this old town  
But oh how the memories start to flow  
And theres the old movie house  
They finally closed it down  
You could find us there every Friday night  
Fifteen years ago._

_We played at the playground right across from the school,  
But nobodys playing there I would know  
On Saturday mornings thats where  
The two of us would meet  
Youd be surprised what a yen would buy  
Fifteen years ago._

_All my memories from those days come gather round me  
What Id give if they could take me back in time  
It almost seems like yesterday  
Where do the good times go?  
Life was so much easier fifteen years ago._

_There's where I first met Polly under that oak tree,  
I talked her into Samurai Training there I know.  
We both graduated at the very tops of our class,  
How could we know what would happen to her  
Fifteen years ago._

_All my memories from those days come gather round me  
What Id give if they could take me back in time  
It almost seems like yesterday  
Where do the good times go?  
Life was so much easier fifteen years ago._

_"_HA HA, HA, HA!! Ya did great work my friends!" Cheese said. "And I am so pleased, I'll let ya kiss my feet!"  
"Uh…ah...why don't you have that happen a little later? Right now we have a robot to finish and plans to draw up on how we're going to sneak into the Palace!"  
"Ah, Jerry, it's going to be so simple…and yet so perfect! Soon we'll only have that George Clooney cat to worry about, and he's gonna be the easiest to get rid of! All we gotta do is hold a mirror to his face!"  
"At least if we do they won't crack when they see him, unlike when you look into one," Jerry mumbled.  
"Hey, I heard that!! Jerry Attrick, you're not gonna live to BE Prime Minister, ya stupid jerk!! Here I am with my most infallible plan ever, and you still put it down!!"  
"Seymore, Seymore, I didn't mean it, just control yourself, please!!"  
"I told you not to call me Seymore!! Who's not in control?! Huh? WHO?! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!" Before Jerry knew it, he was covered in soot, to the delight of the doctor, who clapped his hands with delight.  
"Wonderfully good show!! Encore, encore!! Ha,ha,ha!!"

A little later Speedy still had not returned from delivering the pizza and Francine was starting to be worried. "Maybe I shouldn't have been so eager to reopen this place. Maybe I should have held out for a few more days!" The door opened then and the New York Cats came in just as Guido came back from a delivery.  
"Hiya, Fran," Cosmo said.  
"Hello," Francine greeted them. "Have a seat."  
"Thanks," Sundance said.  
"So, how's everyone doing so far?" Cosmo asked. Dee Dee kicked him under the table and gave him a dirty look. "Ow!! Dee Dee, why'd ya kick me?!"  
"Why'd ya say that?!"  
"EXcuse me for trying to make conversation!"  
"Well, don't try so hard, they've all been through enough!"  
"Hey, I understand that, but I'm hungry!" Sundance said. "Besides, I don't wanna bring it up at all right now!"  
"Good, don't!" Dee Dee warned. "Let's just order."  
"Look, I'm sorry that it happened and I just wanna offer my sympathies!"  
"We did that a week ago! Let's just forget it," Cosmo said.  
"We can't 'just forget it'," Dee Dee said. "Look, let's not bring it up, but if they wanna talk we should be here for them!"  
"Agreed," Sundance said. "Now, let's order!" He looked around. "Say, where's Shorty anyway?"  
Guido marched over to the main table. "Speedy is out making a delivery, thank you. And when he comes back, you better not say that in front of him! He's going through a lot, in case you've forgotten Polly just died and.."  
"Oh, tell me again, IS she dead? Cause I didn't get that!"  
"Look, Sundance, he's really down in the dumps right now…"  
"Oh, NOW you care?!"  
"Look, just leave him alone for right now, he's in a delicate state…"  
"Oh, so sorry. I just hope Shorty keeps his chin up…"  
"Sundance, STOP calling him Shorty, and I mean now!"  
Sundance stood up just then in a rare display of anger. "Look, Anchovy, you got some nerve, coming to my face and telling me what to do! You really got some gall, cause from what I heard about you, you called Speedy…the Speedy, who you're just now defending…a LOT worse names than what I'm calling him now!"  
Guido turned pale. "Look, mind your own business. I was only playing..I never called him really mean names.."  
Sundance shook his head. "Again not what I heard. Let's see…from what I heard you called him such names as 'couldn't sweep a bug off his feet with a broom', couldn't pound the fuzz off a pussy willow, neo-fascist feline', those sound kinda mean to me! Not to mention YOU yourself called him Shorty, and you got the gall to tell me not to, when you yourself did?! Plus you picked fights with him every chance you got, you beat him to a bloody pulp!! I called him one name! One!! YOU did all that other stuff!!  
Good Bird stood up. "WHat do you mean by that?! Guido would never do anything like that!"  
He turned to Guido. "Elighten him, Anchovy, unless you want me too!!"  
Guido Looked down. "Look..I…I..I didn't mean any of.."  
"I bet!! Ya Didn't, huh? So, those are terms of endearment?! Say what ya want about me, but I never pulled a bar stool out from under him, never tried to one-up him, and never raised a hand to him!!"  
"Guido's a Samurai! He would never do that!!" Good Bird said.,  
"Oh, ho,ho!! Apparently there's a lot you don't know about your friend there!"  
Carla looked right at Guido. "Guido, what's he talking about?"  
"Look, I don't know who you think you are, but ya got the wrong Cat, Guido wouldn't do that, not to anyone!"  
"HA! Shows what you know!" he snapped at Good Bird. "Care to be the one to tell him, Anchovy?"  
"Tell us what?" Good Bird asked.  
"Oh, I don't know, maybe tell you about all the times he blatently insulted his so-called "best friend", he made fun of his height, he got into physical fights with him over a woman.."  
"Since when was Guido into Polly?"  
"I'm talking about that ram..what's her name?"  
"Lucielle," Francine said.  
"Lucielle, thank you. In the pre-Polly era. You knew she was Speedy's girl. But what do you do? You…his best friend..beat him up in public, horned in on his deliveries to her, called him every damn name in the book! I just said he was short, not that he had no talent or that he was weak. Polly- may she rest in peace (he crossed himself as he said this, and Cosmo and Dee Dee stood up and did the same) - if she was still alive, you'd probably hit on her as well, just to spite Speedy!"  
"I would not!!"  
"Oh. Knock it off and don't play Mr. Innocent! You Don't care about Speedy and you never did! You only care about 2 things- yourself and women! You just want every girl in the book and are willing to fight everyone…even your own friend…to get them!"  
"Hey, Cosmo is no better.."  
"Don't drag me into this!" Cosmo said. "I never moved in on Lucinda! She's Sundance's fiance, and I would never, nor have I ever, moved in on her, even when they were just dating! I know a few things called "BOUNDRIES", Anchovy, which you apparently do not know the definition of! I would not let a girl come between me and Sundance, nor would I ever raise a hand to him! I'm not like you at all!"  
"Guido never raises a hand to anyone except Cheese!"  
"HAH! You new to this team, Bird?"  
"Yeah, so?"  
"So, apparently you do not know what a creep this guy is!"

"Look, Sundance, what happened between me and Speedy is no one's business!"  
"SHUT UP!!" Sundance said, instantly quieting Guido. "Shut your big mouth! So you gotta get up all in my face when YOU are 10 times more guilty than I'll ever be! I called him one name. I did NOT raise a hand to him, hit on his girl- may she rest in peace- or pull pranks on him!" He marched over to Guido, causing Guido to take a few steps backward. "Do you know what you are, Anchovy? You are a manipulative, backstabbing, womanizing, self-centered hippocrite..and God forgive me…but you're a bastard!! Was there ever a time since you've known Speedy in which you HAVEN'T belittled him, picked on him and tried to get HIM to fufill YOUR womanizing dreams?!"  
Good Bird marched over and grabbed Sundance's arm. 'He's lieing, right?"  
"Guido, speak up, don't let him lie!" Carla said.  
"Oh ho, I lie, do I? Go ahead, Anchovy. Tell them!! Tell them all. Do I lie?!" Francine didn't think her nerves could take much more of this. She glanced at the front door, praying Speedy wouldn't come in. THIS was all he needed to see!  
"Guido, don't let him say those things!!"  
"What, ya don't wanna hear the truth?!"  
"Stop that you liar!"  
"Ha, do I lie, Anchovy? Is everything I'm saying right now a lie?!" he pounded his fist on the table and pointed at Guido. 'Guido Anchovy, by the Samurai Code Of Bushido, AM I LIEING?!" Cosmo, Dee Dee, and Good Bird gasped. The room instantly got quiet, and it seemed as if the entire room turned as one to stare at Guido, waiting for his answer. Guido had been called on the Samurai Code Of Bushido, which was THE most sacred code a Samurai had to swear when he becomes one. They knew if you were called on this oath, you HAD to answer the next question honestly. If you didn't and the person asking knew you were lieing...he could force you to commit hara-kiri right then and there, or just kill you himself and it would be jusified. Guido's face turned pale...he had been called and his entire life lay on his answer! It was much worse than losing his Status if he were caught in a lie. his whole LIFE could be lost. Sundance coldly stared, Good Bird and Carla looked at him anxiously. Francine kept her face down, knowing the answer. "Well?" Sandance asked. "Am I lieing? By Bushido, which I call upon, is what I just said untrue?"  
Guido looked pale, and tears of shame filled his eyes. he knew the truth, along with Sundance. Swallowing hard, he lifted his face slowly, taking in everyone's stares. he took a deep breath. "No," he said. Good Bird and Carla gasped. Dee Dee and Cosmo shook their heads, and Sundance put his hand up to say 'See?'  
"So, you admit it! You're a self-centered, narcissistic womanizer?"  
"Yes."  
"You just want every woman you can find, and you didn't care who you hurt!"  
"Yes."  
"You beat Speedy up to a bloody pulp and didn't care that you did it, just to win Lucy, true?"  
"Yes."  
"Oh my God," Good Bird said.  
"Guido, how could you?" Carla asked.  
"You're unworthy of even BEING a Samurai, it's an honor you don't deserve!!" The door opened and Lucielle then entered the room.  
"Hello, everyone. is Speedy back? I have some sandwiches, maybe I can get him to eat..." he looked around at the surroundings, and how deathly quiet it was. Good Bird and Carla were frozen in shock, Francine had her head down, the entire room was looking at Guido, who stood there with shame on his face and tears in his eyes. "Uh...what's happening here?"  
"Ah," Sundance gestured to Lucielle. "THERE she is! The little lady who started this whole thing!"  
"I beg your pardon?"  
"Tell me...Lucielle, is it? How does it feel knowing YOU turned two best friends against each other?"  
Lucielle stood ridged. 'Is EVERYONE going to STILL bring that up?! I didn't mean to hurt her, I didn't want to!!"  
"Oh...but you did!!"  
Lucielle started crying. "I didn't MEAN to!! HONEST!!"  
Francine stood up. "CARLA, GET HER OUTSIDE, WILL YA?!" Carla dragged her out just in time. the explosion made the whole room shake.  
"What the hell was that?" Sundace asked.  
"That...was Lucielle," Francine explained.  
"And I thought Lucinda was bad," Cosmo said.  
Sundance turned back to Guido. "As I was saying, Anchovy, you got SOME gall telling ME what to do!! YOU should be turning in your armor over HALF the things YOU did, and you have the NERVE to chide ME over ONE name?!"  
Francine finally stood up and marched over to Sundance. "Get. Out. Of. My. Restaurant." she said.  
"Why? For being honest?"

"GET OUT!!" Francine pointed angrily. "Just get out Sundance. You too, Cosmo, and Dee Dee. Just leave!"  
"Yeah, get rid of us. That solves everything, doesn't it?"  
"OUT!!" She reached for a frying pan.  
"OK, OK, I'm going! Take it easy!" he turned to Guido. "But in the future, Guido Anchovy, hear me and hear me well. The next time you dare to judge others or order them to stop doing something, turn right around and look in that mirror!" He put his head upon the door, but unable to resist one more crack turned around quickly. "It's your most favorite thing to do, isn't it?" then turned and left. Cosmo and Dee Dee slowly followed, shaking their head with disgust at Guido. Lucielle then entered again, calmed down.  
"Guys? Who WAS that? What's going on?" she turned to Guido, who had tears coming from his eyes and his head was down. "Guido? Guido...what's wrong?"  
Guido then looked up, filled with shame. Sundance was right, dead right. How could he have done all he did to Speedy? And to think he had felt justified in telling Sundance to stop calling him Shorty, when HE himself had done that!! He did a LOT worse to Speedy...why did he? How could he? Slowly he pulled out his umbrella and threw it on the table.  
"Guido? What is it?"  
Guido looked up. "I am nothing but a piece of cold, unfeeling, dirt." He turned around and left the parlor. Lucielle put her sandwiches on the table and left after him.


	21. Resolutions

-1The song is my version of 'I Wish That I Could Tell You' By Reba McEntire

Lucielle had finally caught up to Guido, and was surprised as anything with what she saw. Guido was sitting by the curb, his knees drawn up to his chest, his arms wrapped around his knees, and his head in his lap. She didn't even have to listen to know he was crying. Lucielle approached him slowly and carefully, tapping him on the shoulder. "Guido?" she asked quietly.

Guido looked up hesitantly. "Hi," was all he managed to say before sobs again overtook him. Lucielle slowly moved over and sat next to him She reached for his arm, but he gentily pulled away from her. "Lucielle…I don't think I'm the Cat you really wanna see right no…or probably ever again!"  
"What do you mean, Guido?"  
"I mean..Lucielle….I'm nothing more than a piece of narcissistic, self-centered, trash!"  
"WHAT?! Guido. who told you that?!"  
"Sundance did…"  
"Sundance…was he the Cat that was in the.."  
"Yeah…and he was right…oh Lucielle, he was dead right!"  
"He was not! Where does he get the right to say those horrible things!"  
"Those weren't horrible things, Lucielle! Those were true! 100 true! I'm not worthy of being a Samurai…I'm not worthy to even be seen with someone as lovely and as good hearted as you"…he paused and took Lucielle's hand, looking into her eyes. "You're a great girl, Lucielle….you deserve someone better than me."  
Lucielle sighed. "Oh, Guido..if you yourself only knew…I'm not as good or as lovely as you think I am either."  
Guido stiffened up. "Did Sundance talk to you, too, Lucielle?"  
"No, Guido, Francine did.":  
"well, Fran probably didn't mean what she said. Ya gotta remember she's going through a lot too."  
"Guido, she was right. I was a terrible friend to Polly!"  
"what do you mean? You 2 were always together."  
"But that's just it, Guido. Yes, I was always with her…but I never noticed her feelings. I never noticed how jealous she was and how hurt she was whenever you boys fought over me..(Guido looked down as she said this) I enjoyed the attention so much I didn't notice her! And that's not a good thing at all for a friend."  
Guido sighed. "At least you never called Polly names, or got into fistfights with her, or deliberately tried to hurt her…for no good reason at all!" Guido started to cry again. "I'm nothing, Lucielle. I'm absolutely less than nothing! How could I have done half the things I did to Speedy!"  
"what do you mean, Guido? I mean, I know you and Speedy used to fight a bit.."

"A bit? Nooo, Lucielle, we used to fight a lot. I'm talking full blown beating him up and knocking him senseless a lot of the time for no good reason at all. I've pulled bar stools out from under him, tried to steal a Golden Ticket during that whole 'Golden Cluck' caper, just to win a date with you." Lucielle quickly turned her head at this. "I…I mean.." he said quickly.."I wanted to have a date with you so badly that I resorted to stealing Speedy's ticket…but there was no excuse for beating him up for it. I also did a great many other things to him…so many things that I can't bear to even think of right now. Sundance pointed these things out to me. I..I just can't believe I did that." Guido looked up. "what kind of friend am I?"  
Lucielle took his hand. "At least you can still apologize to Speedy, Guido. It's not too late for you. But..until I die myself...I'll never see Polly again. I realized too late how I hurt her…and I never got a chance to say I'm sorry…Oh, God, Polly, I'm sorry…" Guido quickly began to massage Lucielle's shoulders until she was calm, then he took her into his arms and rubbed her back. Lucielle looked up at Guido. "See, Guido? Neither one of us is perfect. In fact, we're far from it."

"I know," he sighed. "But..I'm a Samurai Lucielle! I of all Cats should know how to treat friends, God I'm wearing this uniform and everything! I took an oath..and I'm acting like I never did anything! This may very well be a costume for the way I am! I'm not good enough for you, Lucielle, you deserve someone a lot better than a loser like me!"

"Guido, you're NOT a loser! Don't say that! So you made some mistakes, I did too! You have an opportunity to make it up to Speedy! I can't ever have a chance like that with Polly unless you know a Medium!"

Guido took Lucielle's hand tightly. "The 2 of us really did mess up, big time!"

"So, what are we to do?"

Guido sighed. "I wish I knew for certain, Lucielle. I guess all we can do is try to help Speedy for now. I think that's what Polly would want us to do."

"How is Speedy doing?"

"Not good at all. It's taking him a long time to deliver the pizzas. Ya can just tell he's giving it all he's got…but it's not much at all. Polly's death drained the life out of him entirely. It's like he's just a shell now without her."

"Poor Speedy. wE have to try to be there for him as much as we can!" They both stood up and slowly made their way to the Pizza Parlor, holding each other's hands tightly.

Meanwhile Speedy had finished delivering to the Bulldogs and was making his slow way back to the Parlor when he stopped at the graveyard to make his daily pilgrimage to Polly. Laying down some Lotus blossoms, he was just sitting down and talking to Polly…almost as if she was there. "I still really miss you, Polly…we were a team! I know we had some arguments, but we were inseparable even during those! I think of you all the time…even Guido does…but he'll never admit it. You know him! I hope Lucielle is having a good effect of him…oh I know she is! Remember the poem she wrote for you a week ago?" At this point Sylvia came forward with her own bouquet of daises. Speedy looked up from here he was sitting. "Oh, hello, Sylvia."  
Sylvia looked at him with sadness and a small amount of pity in her eyes. "Hello, Speedy. How's the Pizza Parlor doing?"

"Oh, all right. Polly, look, it's Sylvia here to see you!"

"Hello," Sylvia said quickly. "So…how have you been, Speedy?"  
Speedy looked down. "OK I guess…just feeling numb all over…and like the world ended….and like I have an emptiness in the very pit of my stomach…other than that, I'm fine…" tears formed in his eyes again. "The only bit of happiness I have in my life is talking to Polly…right here..and it's just the two of us like we used to."

Sylvia nodded. "You know, Speedy, they're almost done with the building of Polly's statue. It would do you good to go see it."

Speedy sighed and leaned against the all of the tomb. "I…I don't know, Sylvia. I can't…not right now. Maybe…it's just….I don't know.."

Sylvia walked over to him and took his hands. "would you like to talk, Speedy?"

"Not right now, Sylvia…but thanks."

"well..I do consider you a good friend…and if you do ever want to talk about anything I'm here for you. You know where I live."

Speedy stood up. "Maybe later I'll take you up on that, Sylvia. In the meantime I have to talk to Guido, Francine, and Good Bird about something," he turned to the tomb. "See you tomorrow, Kitten." He kissed his hand and pressed it to the wall. "I'll let you talk to Sylvia now. I love you." Sylvia watched him go sadly, knowing that this hollow shell of Speedy just wasn't him…but she had no clue how to help besides offer to listen!

_How do you tell someone to let one go  
I wish that I could tell you  
But you're asking me things that I don't know  
I wish that I could tell you  
The words that I would say  
Sound as empty as the way you feel inside  
While the silence in between  
Tells me everything that you deny  
I don't know how to help you  
I wish that I could tell you  
How to tell her goodbye_

I don't know how you leave it all behind  
I wish that I could tell you  
Is it true a heart heals itself with time  
I wish that I could tell you  
How do you choose  
Do you hurt 'em with the truth or with a lie  
Where do you go

_To find the courage  
You know I could never find  
I don't know how to help you  
I wish that I could tell you  
How to tell her goodbye_

Where do you turn, where do you go  
When you've finally reached the end of the road  
How do you say it 

_I just don't know  
When it comes to leaving _

_You're on your own_

How do you tell someone to let one go  
I wish that I could tell you  
I wish that I could tell you

Guido's brother, Cosmo, and his wife Myoshi had come over to see how things were going and now were sitting quietly in one of the booths waiting for any of them to come back.  
"Well, personally I don't feel the least amount of sympathy for Guido," Myoshi said. "He had ALL of that coming!"  
"You're not at all worried about Guido's feelings?' Francine said.  
"Why should I be? Now, he's acted like a jerk once too many times, and THIS time he caught it in the rear! Bout time SOMEONE pointed it out to him the way he acts all the time!"  
Francine looked to where Guido had thrown his umbrella. "He never goes anywhere without his umbrella...now he just threw it down and just...left it."  
"The little brat could USE a couple doses of reality! Maybe NOW he'll shut up and think about Speedy for a change! He should be there for HIM! Tokyo doesn't run around Guido Anchovy and it's about time he learned that!"  
"I can't believe he would DO that...Guido? From what I could see when they were fighting me they were always together, acting almost as one. In perfect harmony..perfect team.." Good Bird said.  
"Sure, when they were doing their JOBS!" Myoshi pointed out. "But when they were off duty..."  
"Still unbelieveable...I don't know what to think about all this.." Carla said.  
"Don't think, that's just it. We should be pulling together to help SPEEDY!"

The door the opened and Guidi and Lucielle came back into the Parlor. "Cosmo…Myoshi…when'd you 2 get in?"  
"JUst a few minutes ago, bro," Cosmo said.

"Soooo…I hear ya finally got it served to ya in a silver platter, am I right?" Myoshi said.

Guido looked up. "Right," he said.  
Myoshi looked critically at him. "Heeeey…no snappy comebacks? Not even a shut-up? Can it be this Sundance finally got through to you?!"

Lucielle looked up. "Guido and I both made mistakes, Myoshi. Believe me, we're both sorry…so sorry. I don't know how I can ever make up for my own mistakes, but Guido said he's going to try to make it up to Speedy."

"And I know one thing for sure," Guido added. "As all of you are my witnesses, I vow that from now on I'm gonna try to be the most supportive, sensitive, most comforting friend ever to him. I'm gonna stand beside him and be there whenever he needs me. It's the least that I can do for him. I don't know if it'll be enough, but I hope this can show him ho much I value his friendship and how sorry I am for everything." Francine than gave Guido back his umbrella.

"I realize I've been a terrible friend to Speedy. I've been horrible, uncaring, selfish, self centered, stop me whenever ya want to…"

"No, no, you're doing fine!"

Before Guido could answer Speedy opened the door to the Parlor and entered with his head close to the ground. He sat the Pizza Bag down on the table as Francine stood up and took it. Speedy pressed the money into Fran's hand and leaned against the counter with his head down. Guido walked up to him.

"Hey, Speedo," he sad touching his shoulder. "Glad you're back." Speedy raised his eyes. "Look who came to see ya!" Cosmo and Myoshi waved to him. Speedy nodded.

"Hi, Cosmo, Myoshi. You guys have something to eat yet?"

"we got something on the way here."

Speedy looked around at everyone. "well, as long as you're all here, I can tell you all something important." He took a deep breath as everyone leaned in close. "Guys...I realized something today as I was delivering the pizzas. As I was going through Little Tokyo, I couldn't stop thinking about Polly. I know she's dead and I have to get over it.."

"Ya don't have to put so much pressure on yourself to get over it right away," Guido said, coming up to him. "This is gonna take time…we understand."

Speedy shook his head. I wish it was that simple, Guido. But no matter how much time goes by…I'll never be able to fully get over Polly. I see her everywhere! we've been together since we were 8! we did everything together, been everywhere together! Every single building reminds me of her! I…I can't bear this anymore…all these memories…I can't go anywhere without crying, or seeing her tomb, everywhere I look, I see her face. So..I made a decision. I'm gonna ask Al for a transfer…and I'm moving out of Tokyo!" He turned and went back upstairs to the shock of everyone in the room. Guido hurried up after him as Francine sat down weakly.


	22. Lonely Are The Brave

Lonely Are The Brave

Guido followed Speedy into his bedroom. "Speedy, you can't be serious!"

"I am, Guido," Speedy said, sitting on his bed. "Guido…I can't deal with any of this anymore! I'm sorry, but if I stay here, I'll go absolutely nuts!"

"But…Speedy..you can't leave the Samurai! What are we gonna do without you?!'

"I'm not leaving the Samurai, Guido! I'm only gonna ask Al for a transfer to another part of Japan! I can't be here anymore, Guido. I can't even go outside anymore. What good is a Leader of the Samurai who can't even look out a damn window?"

"What's gonna happen to the Pizza Cats?"

"What do ya mean 'What's gonna happen to the Pizza Cats'? Al's gonna send someone else, it's not a big loss!"

"It's a big loss to me, Speedy!" Guido came over and touched his shoulder. "Speedy…we've known each other since 6th grade! I know I haven't been the nicest Cat in the world to ya, but I can't picture even fighting alongside anyone else! I need you, Speedy! I can't lead this team, I don't know how!"

"I'll show ya how before I leave, it's not that hard."

"Ya, it is. Speedy, you got the gift to do this! You got the talent! I don't have those gifts."

"You can learn them, Guido. You're strong, you're resilient. You don't need me!"

"What about the restaurant?" Francine said, appearing at the door of the bedroom. "Speedy, you're one of my best workers. How can we function without you?"

"You're a smart, savy, intelligent businesswoman, Fran. You don't need me."

"What about Princess Vi?" Good Bird said, joining Francine in the doorway.

"She needs the Wizard of Oz!"

"Good thing she's not around to hear that!" Good Bird muttered to Francine. He came up to Speedy. "Speedy, none of that is true at all. WE DO need you!"

"Yeah, Speedy, "Guido agreed. "I can't be Leader, no matter how

much you teach me! I don't have all the gifts you do! You're excellent with the swords, better than any Samurai I know! You've got so much Leadership ability, no matter how much I try I'll never be as good as you. You're the best at this, that's why Al gave you this job! You can't just leave us."

"we don't want you to quit," Lucielle said, coming up as well.

Good Bird touched Speedy's shoulders. "Speedy, you just can't up and leave like this! You mean too many things to too many people. You're not only a fabulous leader, and a great swordsman…you're the best friend I've ever had! Before, when I was being trained by my father, and then working for Big Cheese, I never truly knew what it was like to have a friend, a real, true friend. All my life my father and grandfather never taught me anything about friendship…about love…about true happiness. They only taught me hate, stealing, and killing. The only life I ever had was a life filled with evil, treachery, and misery! I never knew any other life but the one I had..that was the life that I was taught was the right one.…until I started working at the Pizza Parlor that time…and you were so nice to me, despite all the rotten things I did to you. That's when I started to realize that maybe my father may not have been right at all! Maybe your way _might_ be a better way. I began to watch you guys more closely, and I saw how happy you all seemed to be…how well you got along and how much you were a team. Suddenly I realized that all this happiness that surrounded you three, that's something I never felt before! This sense of accomplishment that working at a real job gave me..and one of the first true genuine friends I had, that you…YOU…gave to me, it was better than anything I ever felt before! Better than anything I got with Cheese! I wanted to be a part of your team! I wanted what you have, a special bond that unites you, a firm purpose in life, a true meaning in life! when I was reunited with Carla during the time Big Cheese assigned me the job of manning that Love bot, that's another thing I discovered missing in my life…the thing that you and Polly had…love! The love I had a long time ago with Carla that not even my own father gave me! I was too worried about disappointing my family..but more and more I had a longing to have all you have!

Finally, right after you gave me that speech when you finally defeated me…Speedy..that night..you opened my eyes like no one ever had before. THAT'S when I finally understood that despite the fact that Super Bad Bird was my father, he was wrong! That wasn't a life I wanted! THAT never made me happy! working with you instead of against you…and having your friendship in the pizza parlor...THAT'S what made me happy! That's when I swore before God forever that I was done with a life of evil.

when I saw what you were doing with the Catatonic, I had to fly inside and join you in there to fully prove to myself and to you that what you said truly hit home and I was done with the criminal world forever! Now look here I am. Happily married to Carla, fighting for truth and justice, and now I have four of the best friends I've ever had as well as a wonderful wife and an honest job! For the first time in my life, I'm finally happy. Truly happy…and it's all because of you! You DO make a difference, Speedy! You DO matter! More than I could ever say. You matter to a lot of people, especially me!"

"And me!" Guido added.

"And me," Lucielle said.

"See? what you got, it's much more valuable than what you can do with swords! Speedy, ya got a gift. You're such a great leader, you can even charm Cheese's right wing warrior! I can't think of any other Cat I've met who has the talent to do this! I don't think _I_ ever could, I'm nowhere near as patient as you! Please don't leave, NO way can I be Leader. I'm not, nor will I ever be as good as you."

Speedy looked down again. "This is all sweet of you guys…but the truth is, no matter how much you think I matter, the fact is I just still feel so empty inside. I feel so alone! I can't even deliver pizzas anymore! Everywhere I go, I see her face. She's all over, in the schoolyard here we met as kittens, on top of all the buildings, in all the restaurants, in the park." He lowered his head onto his knees. "I'm just tired of being alone!"

Guido stood up. "we'll talk. we'll talk all the time, I'll come in here every night. we'll play chess, checkers, parchessi, anything you want, anytime you want."

"But at night don't ya usually go out on the town, lately with Lucielle?"

"No more. I'll stay with you every night from now on!"

"we both will," Lucielle. "It's what Polly would want!"

"exactly," Good Bird added. "Polly wouldn't want you to give up, Speedy! Think of the effect you leaving will have on her memory! Think of how the name of the Cats might be damaged cause of this! Polly loved you cause she knew you never quit! You never give up!"

"Yeah…and Cheese IS still out there, probably gloating about this! we have to find him still and make him FULLY pay for Polly's murder."

Speedy slowly stood up. "If that horrid, disgusting, idiotic, jackass with no moral soul thinks he's just gonna sit and gloat over what he did, he's got another think coming! Like hell he's gonna get away with this!"

"Yeah, you do it, Speedy!" Guido said. "I'll be right here with ya."

"I will to!" Good Bird said, joining him.

"even though I'm not a Samurai myself, I'm still part of this team, and you can count on me!" Francine added.

Speedy sighed. "I know I'll make Cheese pay for this if I gotta tear him limb from limb with my own bare hands…but after I do that…she'll still be dead.."

Guido touched Speedy's shoulder. "I know, Speedo. I also know I can't fill the hole Polly left. But I know I'll be here for you. I'll be right here whenever you need me. we'll hang out all the time, we'll play poker, rummy, whatever you want, I'll do with ya!"

"You'd do that, Guido?"  
"Of course! Just please don't quit. See…your friendship is so important to me. I don't just like ya…you're like a brother to me..I love ya, Speedo."

"I do too," Francine said,

"So do I," Lucielle said.

"You're like a brother to me as well, Speedy!" Good Bird said. They all moved together in a huge five animal hug.

"Speedy," Francine said, "if you're really not up to making deliveries yet, I'll ask Al for one of the members of the Rescue Team to help for now."

"You'd do that, Fran?" Speedy asked.

"Of course, Speedy. Nothing is more important than your health and well-being!"

"See, Speedy? Even Francine is concerned about your feelings! So, will you change your mind and stay here?" Guido asked.

After a while Speedy looked around slowly at all the people who had gathered in his room and were surrounding him in a snug cocoon of friendship. All the people who cared for and loved him so much. "well… if you all put it that way, I guess I'll stay."

"Terrific!" Guido said as they all hugged him tightly. with a grateful sigh he walked out of the room. "_I vow that from now on, Speedy, no girl will ever come between us again, and I'll be a real, true best friend in every form of the word." _


	23. In Her Shadow

-1_Speedy had just walked Polly back to her room after their date that night at a brand new restaurant. He stopped in front of the door and just gazed upon her. Standing so close to her, he could see how her eyes twinkled, making the blue richer and lovelier, her hair glowed in the faint moonlight that shone from the window, turning it the color of ripe cherries. He had never seen anyone more lovely in his life! Lucielle had nothing..absolutely NOTHING on Polly Esther! __W__Hy, oh why did it take him so long to see this?! He cleared his throat, looking for just the right words to say so he didn't come off as a studdering fool. "So..ah…did ya have a good time, Kitten?"_

_"I had a wonderful time, Speedy!" Polly said. "That food was delicious! I must have eaten ten pounds of it! I have to start working out twice as hard tomorrow!"  
" Work out?" Speedy laughed. "You never cease to amaze me! Polly, you don't need to work out! You're beautiful exactly the way you are!" _

_"Sure you say that now, but after I gain 5 pounds…"_

_"You'll still be lovely. Polly Esther, you are the most beautiful cat in all of Japan! No one else is as wonderful as you, and I mean that. WHen we fight crime, or cook pizzas, or go out on dates…there's no one like you, ever! I love you, every single part of you!"_

_Polly blushed. "I love you too, Speedy! I don't think anyone's ever talked to me like that before! So..you think I'd look OK even if I put on a little weight?"_

_Speedy shook his head. "Don't listen to anything Guido has to say! HIS idea of going steady with someone is going out with a girl for a whole week!"  
Polly laughed. "Actually, I think his record is 2 weeks!" Both of them laughed. _

_Speedy tenderly stroked his love's cheek, leaning closer to her. "Polly.." he whispered as his lips came down on hers. Tenderly they kissed again and again. His arms came down and around her waist, pulling her closer and running his hands down her back. Polly's arms came up and around his neck, getting tangled in his thick black hair. Speedy stroked Polly's soft white fur on her back, running his hand up and down in small circles and pulling her ever closer. The kisses grew as the passion filled the entire area and Speedy and Polly pressed each other closer than they ever had before, enjoying this feel of one another's bodies, unlike anything they had ever felt. Speedy slowly began to trail his lips to her cheek and to her chin. Their breath came deeper as Speedy planted tiny kisses don her neck. With a small groan Polly fell back against her door, moaning with unbridled pleasure. She felt the doorknob press against her back- but she could almost enjoy this sensation as Speedy's kisses went deeper and deeper down her neck. He moved his lips until he was kissing her collarbone, lifted his lips upward until he reached her chin, then kissed her chin, nose, cheek, forehead, and finally landed on her lips again. His lips trailed down her neck again, finally pausing at the collar of her blouse. Tenderly he pushed aside her collar and let his lips rest for a bit upon a part of her he had never kissed before- the space where the end of her neck met the beginning of her shoulder. "God, I love your fur," he whispered into it. "It's so soft…so silky...so perfect." Polly gasped as gentile tingling sensations came over her._

_"Speedy, I love you," she gasped._

_Speedy raised his head and cupped her face in his hands, gazing into her eyes, shimmering in the light of the moon. "I love you so much…" he gasped. "God…you're beautiful!" It was all he could do not to scoop her into his arms, carry her into his bedroom, collapse on the bed with her and love her with all his heart. He brought his lips down on hers again with all the intense love he felt just then. They moaned with joy and passion, Speedy ran his arms don her waist and rubbed her back, tracing her spine and bringing her closer. His hand began to slip down her dress as he started to feel her backbone. "Polly.."_

_"Speedy…" _

_Speedy embraced Polly tightly, wanting to hold her, caress her, never let her go…but just then his head snapped up as he realized where his hand as going and quickly withdrew it. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!! WHat are we doing?! WE gotta slam on the breaks! WE can't do THAT…if we get caught, we'll be stripped of our Samurai titles!' He thought, knowing the Code of the Samurai. Speedy slowly pulled away and gasped for breath and Polly did the same._

_"Wow," she gasped._

_"Yeah, sorry," Speedy said. "I kinda got carried away."_

_"Yeah, me too," Polly said, blushing. "And I liked it," she admitted._

_"Me, too," Speedy said, pulling her into a deep hug. "But you know no matter how much we love each other.."_

_"I know, we're not allowed to go all the way with anyone till marriage, it's part of our oath," Polly said. _

_"Yeah…so um…here do ya wanna go tomorrow?"_

_"It's your turn to choose, Speedy!"  
"It is..OK..I'll think about it. I'll try to find something extra special."  
"Oh, Speedy, every moment I can get with you is special!"_

_"Same here, Kitten," Speedy embraced her again and gave her another deep kiss, making sure it didn't last too long. "Goodnight, Kitten."_

_"Good night, Pussycat."  
"I love you so much."_

_"I love you, too, always." She gave him one last kiss. "See you tomorrow." She walked into her room and closed the door. _

_Speedy went into his room immediately afterward and closed the door, leaning against it. That was close. TOO close! Speedy sighed. Lately it was getting harder and harder to say goodnight to her! He moved over to his drawer and took out a white envelope he had hidden there. Bringing it to the bed, he opened it and took out a huge handful of money- money that had come from one-third of his weekly paycheck that he was saving for the past couple of weeks. Good, only just a few more weeks left and he should have enough! He smiled and touched the wall that connected his room to Polly's. "Soon, Kitten" he thought. "Very, very soon." He remembered the beautiful diamond he saw glimmering in the store window…and pictured how lovely it would look shimmering on Polly's finger. _

Speedy woke up just then, sitting up in the bed. He turned on his light, blinking hard as he got used to the brightness. His dream came back to him as he remembered those very events that had taken place a few weeks before he had proposed to Polly. He smiled and brushed his hand against the wall, for just a moment thinking she was asleep in the room next to his. For just a moment, he had forgotten…until the dark truth came back to remind him…and sobs overtook him as he lowered his head. That night had been so romantic…so magical. God, he should have just forgotten the ring and proposed to her right then and there! Polly wouldn't have cared about the ring, she wasn't too keen on jewelry anyway! If he had only done that…they might have been married for a few weeks! If only for a few weeks, it would definitely have been worth it. His sobs grew louder as he thought of this. The door opened just then and Guido stuck his head in.

"Hey, Speedy? You alright?"

"Yeah…yeah, Guido, I'm fine. Just..had a dream."

"You were talking a lot in your sleep, I could hear ya from my room." Guido came over to him and sat down on his bed, taking his hand tightly. "wanna talk about it?"

"Not too much to talk about…I was just…."

Guido put his other arm around Speedy. "Yeah?"  
"I was dreaming about me and Polly…a few weeks before we got engaged. But, it wasn't just a dream…it really happened. It was just the way I dreamed it." He started to sob again and Guido held him and let him cry against his shoulder.

"That's it, Buddy. Let it out, it's alright. It's OK. It's OK"

Francine came in then. "what's all the noise I'm hearing.." her eyes grew wide at the sight of Guido sitting on Speedy's bed with one arm around him and the other on his own hand as Speedy cried against his shoulder. "OH MY GOD!! Uh..look, Speedy, I realize you're still upset about Polly…but, uh, I don't think this is a good form of morning.."

Guido and Speedy gave her disgusted looks, "Get it out of the gutter, Fran! Speedy had a dream about Polly!"

Francine came over then and touched Speedy's hand. "Are you gonna be alright, Speedy?"

"Yeah, yeah.." Speedy sniffed. "Nothing I can do about anything anymore!"

Francine looked at Speedy's face, so sad, so sullen and withdrawn. His cheeks were soaking, his wiskers drooped. Hs eyes, once so peppy and full of life now were sunken in and dull. "If you don't think you can deliver pizzas right now, you don't have to yet, Speedy. I can get Spritz and Meowzma to do it."  
Guido stood up. "Come on, Speedy. I don't think any of us can sleep right now. I'll make us all some hot chocolate."

Cheese laughed out loud at the recent turn of events. "Excellent work gentilemen, excellent! Its only a matter of time..only a small matter of time!" He spun around, delighted at his luck. "Now, Jerry, how's everything going with the robot?"

"It should be done and all tested by the end of this week. WE should be all ready to go by then."

"Very good. Lets have a look." Cheese followed Jerry to near the very end of the cave where the robot itself stood, massive and mighty. It was big and silver and the trends were a rich black. Guns of every shape and kind were hidden in many secret compartments and peeking out from the arms and legs, Huge turbo rockets were affixed to the back. "Oh, Jerry, you and the Crows have outdone yourselves! This, I think, is one of the best, most amazing inventions you've ever made!"

"The Crows have been working very hard on it, Symour."  
"Fantastic. WE'll be leaving very soon, so make sure a lot of the testing is done. Now, Dr., do you have more solution made?"

"Right here, Sir," Hiroshi said, producing a big green bottle.

"Goody! OK, first I'll get the Princess, then her dumbbell of a father, then her mother, than Al, then…"

"One thing, Symour, how are you going to make that brat hold still? WE would waste the entire bottle on her alone!"  
"Good point, Jerry! Hmm…I GOT IT!! WE shoot her father first right in front of her! WHile she's busy crying over his body, she won't be running around like crazy, and we got her! Next to go is her meddling Mama who's gonna be running to her precious baby! After that it's Al, and any other guards who get in our way!" Cheese by now was panting with joy.

"Yes, Sir," Jerry said. "The next ones we'll get are that backstabbing Crow and last of the Samurai Cats.."

"Oh, we'll just show him a mirror, Jerry! Everyone knows that and a pretty girl are his chief weaknesses! He'll go down easily! Oh, Jerry, I can't take all this excitement, I simply must sing. Join me, won't you?"

"I'm right there, Cheesy!"

"_Oh, my name is Symore Cheese,"_

_"That's 'Big Cheese, to you!"_

_"And my evil is fresh and nasty,"_

_"Rats like him are very few!"_

_"And soon Little Tokyo will submit,"_

_"For very soon they will all see,"_

_"That the one to rule Little Tokyo.."_

Heroshi ran up and joined in. "_will be the Fabulous Symore Cheese!"_  
Heroshi clapped as loud as he could. "wonderful, wonderful!!"  
"Thank you my friend! Oh, Jerry this is such a wonderful scheme! Let's celebrate with a glass of the bubbly!" he inadvertently reached for Heroshi's potion.

"No, no, no, stop, sir!" The Crows said. Cheese quickly stopped.

"Oh..boy, I almost drugged myself there. Thank you my friends."

"Here, let me get it," Jerry said, going to get the bottle. "with your luck you'll end up drinking the robot's motor oil!"

Cheese beamed. "Jerry, I'm so happy I'll ignore that remark as a fickle try to keep me entertained."

"Hey, who are you calling fickle?"  
'"GOLLY, I don't know. WHo's the only other one here?!"

The next afternoon Guido and Good Bird were standing in front of the Royal Palace with Sayaka, giving her her Samurai lesson. "OK," Guido said holding his own sword carefully. "Now, what you're gonna do is get a good tight grip on the sword," Sayaka held her sister's wooden training sword in front of her as tight as she could. "Focus your eyes on the target…and then before they can even blink jump as high as you can, aim the sword, and hit!" He jumped up and sliced off a tree branch to demonstrate. Sayaka watched him carefully…then aimed, focused, and jumped as high as she could, and cut off a few tree branches of her own.

"I did it! Guido, Good Bird look, I did it!!"

Good Bird whistled. "Got it on the first try! I'm impressed!"

"That's great, Sayaka! You got your sister's gift. That's for sure."

"Do you think I can become a Samurai like her and fight alongside you Speedy, and Good Bird at the Pizza Parlor?"

Guido nodded. "You keep putting your mind to it, and I'll be seeing you right there!" He stopped and sat upon a rock, beckoning Sayaka to sit with him. "Sayaka, ya know that, no matter how good you are at Samurai training, there's a lot more training involved and a lot of hard work. After Good Bird, I, and eventually Speedy are finished teaching you you'll enroll in Samurai School to perfect your moves. Good Bird and I will also teach you a lot of the rules, and a lot of things we've learned ourselves. This one piece of wisdom I just learned a few days ago, which I pass on to you. If ya wanna be a good Samurai, you have to make sure to think before you talk or do anything, especially when it comes to your fellow teammates. You can't just do things to someone just because you feel like it, and that includes pulling pranks. Sure, ya might be stressed at the end of a long, hard working day and you might want to loosen up by having fun…but don't have it at the expense of your teammates. Also..no matter what, always respect your fellow teammates no matter what might happen! Ya might get mad at them for something, or jealous because they might have something you yourself might want. But if that should ever happen, talk about it with your fellow teammates. Don't pick fights or call them nasty names, cause you can end up hurting them big time, Friends are the most important gift you can have, and nothing is more valuable. I found that out the hard way. So, no matter how stressed you might be, just remember, don't take it out on your teammates. Think before you talk or do anything to them, you'll never know how important they are." Sayaka nodded.

"Don't worry, Guido, I'm not gonna harm, or pull pranks on any one of my co-workers.." she stood up menacingly. "The only one that's gonna get hurt at all is Big Cheese! By the time I get my claws into him for what he did to my sister, he's NOT gonna have ANY legs to stand on…"

"wait, whoa, Sayaka," Good Bird said, putting his hand upon her shoulder. "don't you try to handle this by yourself. First of all, you're not a full-fledged Samurai yet, so you don't have any authority to do it. Second, when you do become a Samurai you're gonna need as much help as you can get. WE're all angry at Cheese for what he did to your sister…but to go out by yourself is dangerous and a very easy target for Cheese! WE all want revenge, and we'll all have it- together!"

""If Big Cheese finds out you're alone, he won't hesitate to send huge amounts of Crows to get to do what he did to your sister.."

"Don't worry, Guido, the way I'm feeling right now no stupid Ninja Crows would dare to take on me!"

"Don't be so quick to rush, Sayaka," Guido warned. "And don't be too overconfident! Remember, you're going to be a Samurai, and a Samurai is always supported by her team. WE all cared about your sister, and we all want a piece of Cheese."

"And we'll all get him too- together!" Good Bird added. "Symour is as stupid as they come, but if you try to fight alone, he will take advantage of that! Besides, I think Speedy wants the biggest piece of him!"

"How is Speedy?"

"We're all trying to be there for him as much as we can. Poor guy can't even walk the streets without seeing your sister."  
"I can't blame him," Sayaka said softly. "I can't wait until I'm a full fledged Samurai and can follow in my sister's memory. I only wish it wasn't going to take such a long time. If only it was quick so all together we can take down that rodent that murdered my sister!"

"We will," Good Bird promised.

"Yeah. And, even if you don't help us get Cheese, I want ya to know it's gonna be a real honor working with ya, Sayaka. I can tell you already have a lot of your sister inside of you."  
"Do you really think I can be as good as her?"

"Sayaka I have do doubt that you can. Pretty soon you'll be doing kicks and punches like a pro, and then it'll be swords slashes, guts, tricks, and soon you'll be making your own finishing move!"  
"Finishing move?"

"Yeah. It's a very special move that only skilled warriors know how to do. You can do it when you get enough energy gathered in your body from extreme fighting. It's called a 'finisher' because it's so powerful it knocks out your opponents and finishes any fight. Speedy's is the Cat's Eye Slash, your sister had her Heartbreaker."

"what's yours?"

"It's called the Azure Dragon Fire. I'll show it to ya," Guido opened his umbrella, tossed it in the air and stood on top of it. He held his sword in front of him and concentrated. Blue energy gathered around his sword, and he leapt off the umbrella. With a loud yell he jumped and sliced a tree right in half. Sayaka stood amazed.

"Wow!! That's amazing! Ya mean I'm gonna be able to do that?!"

"Well, not exactly that. You're gonna be able to form your own formations and styles on your own and pick your own finisher from them. It'll be your own unique finisher which you'll be able to use at the ends of all your fights."

"wow!"

"So keep practicing your moves."

"I'll do it every night!" Sayaka promised. "I'll do whatever it takes to join you in my sister's position."

"So, how's the statue of your sister coming along?" Good Bird asked.

"They say it's almost ready. It should be unveiled at the end of the week. I'm going to go down and see it."

"I'll join ya," Guido said.

"Me too," Good Bird added.

WHen they got to the center of town they walked over to where the workers were building up the statue. Guido whispered to one of them, who let them through. Sayaka stared at the statue so far. Her arms trembled as she laid her hand on the pure golden cheek of the statue. Guido touched Sayaka's shoulder as she looked up. "It looks so much like her!' she gasped. Good Bird looked around and his eyes fell on a small pile of flowers . He recognized the spot as the place where Polly fell. There was a small plaque set up on top of the flowers.

IN MEMORIUM

POLLY ESTHER


	24. I Will Be There For You

-1The song is 'Everybody Hurts' by R.E.M.

The next day two of the Ninja Crows snuck into the Pizza Parlor…or to be specific into Polly's bedroom. "Ya wanna explain to me one more time why we're in here?"

"Don't ya remember? Big Cheese wants us ta get stuff from in here and torture Speedy with them!"  
"Ya, ya, let's just hurry up and get out of here before we get caught."

"Those guys haven't even been able to come up here for the past week, I think we're safe!" The Crow pointed out as they moved around the room, looking for some small trinkets with which to continue to torture Speedy with. The first one opened a drawer and took out a small pink ribbon that Polly wore in the Pointless Sisters. The second one saw Polly's shelves where she had her Garfield collection. Garfield books were along the top shelf, neatly organized. On the bottom one were neat rows of stuffed Garfields and Garfield figurines. On the table in front were Garfield snowglobes. For a moment the Crow stood amazed at the massive collection.

"well, now we know who hogged the Garfield site on e-bay," he cracked.

"Just take one of em and let's go."

He took the one nearest him, a Garfield snowglobe that had him and Odie making a snowman. The other Crow took a few of her heart bombs.

"Ok, that's enough. Let's go!"

Later that afternoon Speedy left his room with a bunch of flowers in his hand. Guido had just returned from delivering a pizza and met him at the foot of the stairs. "Hey, Speedy. where are ya going?"  
"I'm gonna go visit Polly right now, Guido."

Guido set down his pack. "It's time for my break. want some company?"

"Sure, I'd like that, Guido. I don't think I can handle all these memories by myself."

Guido turned to Francine. "Francine, I'm going on break." Francine, Spritz, and Meowzma nodded.

"Are you gonna be alright, Speedy?" Meowzma asked.

"Yeah, Guido's comin with me," he said.

"Let's stop at the flowr shop so I can pick up something as well," Guido said.

The two Ninja Crows came in then in disguise. "Hey there," one greeted Francine. "To slices of worms and pepperoni please."

"Coming right up," Francine said, turning to the ovens. The Crows looked around to make sure no one was watching, then took out the pink ribbon and threw it right in the middle of the floor. Guido turned and saw it first. with a sift glance at Speedy he grabbed the ribbon off the floor and stuffed it into his apron. One of the Crows saw him do it and whispered to the other, who flew off and returned, nodding, a short while later.

Guido and Speedy slowly walked down the road, heading for the graveyard. Guido stared at Speedy, who was walking with his face down on the ground, not looking to the left or to the right. Speedy had gone to this grave so many times he had had the route practically memorized. Speedy raised his eyes toward Guido. "Ya know, it's funny," he said. "I used to be afraid to make Polly mad, way before we started dating, ya know? If I was really late coming back, or distracted, I'd dread returning to the Pizza Parlor, for fear of what she'd do or what she'd yell…now I'd give anything on earth to hear her yell again! If she would only be here screaming at me or calling me 'scrolls idea of Heaven'….for that I'd give all I have."

"I know what you mean," Guido admitted. "I used to accuse Polly of favoring you cause she gave you more time to get your pizza delivered…of course I know why now. But if only I could work with her again, for just one more day..I'd even welcome the feel of a frying pan on my helmet again. Crazy as it sounds..I kinda miss it."

"I do too," Speedy said. "I loved Polly with all my heart. No one could kiss like she could, no one was so kind, so loving…" he choked on his tears. Guido squeesed his shoulder.

"Ya wanna go get some coffee right now? I think we both need some. I'll treat." Speedy nodded as they turned and made their way to the nearest coffee shop.

A little while later Speedy and Guido were sitting at the booth farthest away from the window, enjoying fragrant cups of creamy coffee with a bit of whipped cream on top. Speedy glanced at Guido sitting across from him. "_Should I tell him about the flute sounds I keep hearing?_" Speedy thought. _'what if he thinks I'm nuts? what if he tries to send me to a metal instution? Or he tells Al? what if he tries to make me believe what I was hearing..that it wasn't true…when yes, it is!! _ _I know Polly's trying to talk to me..I know it!_" He couldn't keep this secret bottled up inside him, he HAD to tell someone…and that someone was his best friend. Speedy turned to Guido. "Guido…can I tell ya something?"

"Sure, Speedy."

Speedy looked up. "Guido…lately, well, usually late at night...I've been hearing things."

"Like what, Speedy?"  
"Like..like flute music. Guido, I've been hearing Polly's flute. It's like Polly's playing her flute for me, like she's right here. But when I go outside to see..the music stops and it's like nothing ever happened. You probably think I'm losing my sanity, but I swear Guido, it's true! I can hear her! She's really playing the flute, right outside my window. One time I even heard her in the back alleyways when I was trying to deliver a pizza. I tried to follow the sound...I could have sworn I even saw her! But, no one was in that alley. I noticed the alley was near the graveyard as well. I don't know if it's real, or if I'm losing it. I might be crazy..or Polly might be trying to talk to me! Maybe she's trying to tell me she's happy now…really happy."

Guido thought a bit before choosing his words carefully so as not to send Speedy completely over the edge. After all, he had just sworn to be the best friend he could be to him. "Are you sure it was Polly's flute you heard?"  
"It has to be, Guido. why else would I be hearing it so clearly?"

"well...maybe the music is really there, in your heart, and that's why you can't see her."

"You saying I'm imagining it?"  
"No, no, oh God, no, that's not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying that that may be why only _you_ can hear the flute. Cause it's in your heart, and only there."

'You think Polly is trying to contact me?"

"I believe she might be."

Speedy sighed. "Guido…if she is trying to contact me and telling me she's happy….really happy now…why do I feel so miserable? Am I just being selfish? After all, Heaven is the most wonderful place in the world! All of us strive to get there, and now that she IS there, I should be happy for her..but I'm not. I still feel empty inside. All I can think of is she's not here with me. She's up above the clouds and so happy..and I can't be happy for her! I'm more depressed than I've ever been. Is…is that being selfish and self centered?"

"No," Guido said after a pause. "That's not selfish at all." He shook his head. "Speedy, what are ya doing saying things like that?! You're just about the most unselfish Cat I know! You never think of yourself, you always put others first. You've risked your life hundreds of times to save practically all of Tokyo. You're sensitive towards others, you're caring about the wishes and needs of your fellow man, you're courteous and forgiving. You're ANYTHING but selfish!! In fact..you're just about the most decent, kindest cat I've ever known."  
"Really, Guido?"

"Really."

Speedy looked down again, not even noticing the tears that were spilling into his coffee. "But..why do I still wish her here instead of up there?"

"Cause that's natural to miss her," Guido said. "I miss her too. She was my friend as well. True, I wasn't as close to her as you were…but that doesn't mean I don't miss her almost as much as you do. The place is too quiet without her." he reached over and squeezed Speedy's hand. "Believe me, Speedy, I wish with all my heart she was alive as well. I'd give up my umbrella in a second for just one more day to work with her. I think of her all the time as well."

"I'd trade places with her in a second. I'd lay down my on life if it meant she could come back."  
"I know, pal, I know." Guido said. "And that's why I say you're not selfish. You're a great Cat, Speedy. You always were, and the best friend anyone could have." He stood up. "You still up for the tomb?"  
"Yeah," Speedy stood up. "Guido? Thanks."  
Guido put his hand on Speedy's shoulder. "I'll always be here for ya, Speedo," he said as they made their way to the graveyard.

_When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone,  
When you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on  
Don't let yourself go, 'cause everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes_

Sometimes everything is wrong. Now it's time to sing along  
When your day is night alone, (hold on, hold on)  
If you feel like letting go, (hold on)  
When you think you've had too much of this life, well hang on

'Cause everybody hurts. Take comfort in your friends  
Everybody hurts. Don't throw your hand. Oh, no. Don't throw your hand  
If you feel like you're alone, no, no, no, you are not alone

If you're on your own in this life, the days and nights are long,  
When you think you've had too much of this life to hang on

Well, everybody hurts sometimes,  
Everybody cries. And everybody hurts sometimes  
And everybody hurts sometimes. So, hold on, hold on  
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on  
Everybody hurts. You are not alone 

when they reached the tomb, Guido looked at Speedy. "Go on," he said. Speedy went over to the tomb and placed his flowers near the door.

"Hi, Polly, how are ya doing today? Look, Guido's here to see ya!"

"Hi, Pol," Guido said.

"So, how are you doing? Hope things are all right with ya. Ya know…I know that here you are right now…it's an incredible place. I hope you're happy and things are going great for you. How are things down here? WEll..down here, it's pretty OK. Not too much happening, and it's still so quiet…I miss you." Guido stood and watched Speedy as he talked to Polly…almost as if she was right there with him! Speedy stared at the door as if Polly was sitting right in front of it! Guido wondered if he even knew that Guido was standing there! Speedy's head was up, and his voice seemed to regain his peppiness that had gone away. Guido wondered if Speedy could even see anything except the door to the tomb and his own vision of Polly. Guido bowed his head and tried to hide the tears that were forming down in his stomach. Poor Speedy…this was the only thing that, from what Guido could see, was bringing Speedy anything even remotely resembling joy at all! Speedy continued to talk, and Guido sat on a nearby rock and watched. He knew this was taking up his break time, but if Francine got mad, she would get mad at him! He was NOT gonna leave Speedy, no matter what Francine might do or say! His friend needed him, and he was not gonna budge! His mind drifted back to just a few weeks before Speedy and Polly got engaged.

_Polly was dishing out pizzas to the long line of customers, her blue eyes sparkling and shining with a pure shade of blue no one had ever seen before. She was grinning from ear to ear and her voice as filled with pure joy. "Here ya go, one extra large pizza with sausage and meatballs, enjoy it and have a nice day!" Guido was coming back after waiting a few tables stunned at how Polly was acting. This was a whole new Polly. The old Polly was nice…usually…but THIS Polly was someone new entirely! He hardly ever saw Polly acting THIS happy..like nothing could ever bother her at all! She didn't even blow up once today! He sidled up to Polly._

_"Hey, Pol. You're really in a happy mood today!"_

_She turned around to face him happily "Does it show?"_

"_Yeah..in fact it's been showing every day this week! You sure you're not possessed?" __Q__uickly he realized that he might have said the wrong thing and ducked in case Polly was about to hit him, but just then the door opened and Speedy came running in, sporting a grin just as huge as Polly's._

_"Good afternoon, guys!"_

_"Afternoon, Speedy!"_

_Speedy made his way over to the counter and gave the money to Francine. Slowly he snuck around to the back of Polly, pulled out a rose, and gave it to her, causing her to giggle, blush, and kiss his cheek. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pressed her close, kissing her helmet. She leaned against him, causing Guido to shake his head._

_"You are possessed, aren't ya, Polly? Both of you are!"_

_Speedy grinned. "what gave it away?" He took some pizzas from Francine and began to wait on tables. _

_Polly giggled again. "I admit it, Guido. I've never been so happy in all my life! Speedy…he just makes my whole world. It seems like all he has to do is kiss me and I have more energy than I've ever had before!" Speedy rushed up to Polly, tilted her chin toward him and kissed her, softly at first, and then deeper as their arms went around each other. Speedy held her waist and dipped her down, to the amuzement of the customers, but they both ignored the 'awwws' and catcallings from the customers. They kissed again and again, unaware of anyone around them for the longest time, finally breaking for air. "Mmm…I needed that!" Polly smiled._

_Speedy smiled back and without words took a pizza from Fran, and after a peck from Polly, left the building._

_Guido stared, amazed. "wow." _

Guido came back to the present as Speedy was finishing up. Finally Speedy said. "I should let ya talk to Guido now, he's been waiting long enough. I'll see ya later, I love you." He kissed his palm and pressed it against the wall before nodding toward Guido. Guido just stepped up, placed his flowers on the tomb, and knelt down in front of it to pray.

As they were leaving the graveyard later, suddenly Speedy stopped and looked down on the ground, frozen in his tracks. Guido stared with alarm. "Speedy? Speedo? what is it?" Speedy didn't answer, but his eyes looked glassy and filled with terror. Guido followed his eyes to the ground. He gasped at what he saw…a heart bomb, one that looked exactly like Polly's…no, one that _was_ Polly's…was laying right at the entrance to the tomb. Guido grabbed it…but Speedy stopped him from putting it in his pocket. Carefully he took it from Guido and just held it, stroking it tenderly.

"No, Speedy," Guido said. "That…that probably fell of the bier as we were carrying Polly to the tomb…really.." Speedy stared at it with no expression on his face. Speedy started shaking a bit and tears formed in his eyes. Guido hugged him tightly. "It's Ok….it's OK…" Speedy took the heart bomb..stared at it a bit..and let it fall on the ground, where it broke in 2. Guido hugged Speedy understandingly, he removed the bomb and put it in his pocket, leading his best friend out of the cemetery. He Didn't leave his side for the rest of the day.

Later that night, the Rescue Team, along with Guido, Lucielle, Cosmo, Myoshi, Good Bird, Carla, and Francine, were sitting with Speedy after work playing a late-night game of poker, like they used to. Speedy tried to concentrate as best he could…but all he could think of was Polly's heart bomb that he found on the ground. "_It couldn't have fallen off the bier_," he thought. "_why didn't I see it before now? Is Polly trying to talk to me again? was that a sign?"_ At first he didn't even notice Francine calling him.

"Speedy? Speedy?" Speedy's head snapped up. "it's your turn."  
"Oh…yeah.." Speedy halfheartedly threw in a few chips. But he couldn't take his eyes off the seat next to him in which Myoshi was now sitting…the place where Polly used to sit when they played these late night poker games! He looked at his cards again, willing himself to concentrate, not even listening to a rustling sound that was coming from outside.

A short time later Speedy glanced up again…and what he saw took his breath away. There, sitting on the windowsill, was the snowglobe the Crows stole from Polly's room. Speedy's face grew pale at the sight of this particular snowglobe and his hands started trembling. Francine looked at this worriedly. Guido leaped up from his chair.

"Speedy? what's wrong? Speedy….you alright?" Speedy was frozen to the spot, his eyes never leaving the windowsill. Guido followed his eyes and gasped a bit when he laid his own eyes on what Speedy had seen. He knew that that snowglobe wasn't an ordinary one… it was the last birthday gift Speedy had given to Polly before her death. How did it get there?! The Rescue Team exchanged nervous glances as Guido moved closer to Speedy. "Speedy? Hey,. Buddy…ya wanna go outside?" Speedy closed his eyes and tears started coming, and Guido and Good Bird quickly helped him out of the chair and led him out. Lucielle followed them. "It's OK, let it out. I'm right here," Guido said.  
"Did…did you see.."

"Yeah, I did…honestly I don't know how that got there…but…"

"You saw it too?" Lucielle asked. "How did that get out of…"

"Got me," suddenly he heard a rustling in the bushes close by. Lucielle grabbed Guido's hand and pointed to where the sound was coming from- the bushes directly underneath the window. Guido motioned for Lucielle to take care of Speedy- who was sitting on a rock. Good Bird flew quietly above the bushes and quick as a wink dove into them…and pulled out 2 Ninja Crows, who he immediately dropped in front of Guido.

"YOU TWO?!" Guido said. "what are you doing here?!"  
"Mind your own business, Cowboy Cassanova! For your information we were just leaving.."

"OH NO YA DON'T!!" Guido said, grabbing them with such force a rattling sound was heard…and a few more heart bombs dropped onto the ground. "SO…IT'S YOU THAT'S DOING ALL THIS!!"

"So what if we are?! why do you suddenly care anyway?!"

"You sons of…first your rotton immoral bastard of a boss kills one of my best friends, and my other one is suffering beyond belief…and you're torturing him!! were you the ones behind that flute he keeps hearing?!"

"what flute?!' Good Bird then snatched the Crows and turned them upside down, shaking them until the flute spilled out. Guido picked it up, incensed.

"WHY YOU…" Guido said as Good Bird put the Crows down. "You bastards!! You Don't have anything even resembling hearts in those feather-covered bodies of yours!! How dare you do that to Speedy?!" He took out his umbrella and proceeded to beat the stuffing out of both Crows. "It's bad enough you broke his heart, now you have to torture him on top of it all and have him believe that is was Polly trying to contact him?! How could you DO that to him?!"

"Quite simple, really! Kind of fun too!"  
"Shut up you brain dead, unholy, completely heartless oafs! You ain't got a decent bone in your bodies. You stay away from him RIGHT NOW, you hear me?! Get right OUT of here!! If I _ever_ hear you torturing my best buddy again...get OUT OF OUR SIGHT!!" He proceeded to drop-kick the Crows right out of Tokyo…and a few feet from the cave. Slowly Guido picked up the flute and with a deep breath, headed toward Speedy.


	25. Here Comes A Candle To Guide You To Bed

-1The Crows picked themselves up off the entrance to the cave and started to stagger into the entrance where Cheese and Jerry were supervising the finishing of the robot. Cheese whirled around to stare at what he saw. "what on earth happened to the 2 of you?"

"Don't ask," the first Crow mumbled "Ya got any aspirin?"  
"It's with Dr. Hiroshi," Cheese said, pointing to where the Dr. was mixing in his makeshift lab. "Ah, this is SUCH a beautiful sight, Jer! Soon Little Tokyo is ours! HA, HA, HA, HA!!"

"Yes, Symoure. Should we bomb the pizza parlor first or go right for the Palace?"

"we'll flip a coin! HA, HA, HA! Ah, roses are red, blue are jeans, I love it when ya think like me! Obnoxious! HAHA!" He and Jerry laughed.

Guido slowly made his way over to Speedy. "Hey, Buddy?" Speedy lifted his head up carefully. Lucielle moved over and Guido sat down next to him. "You alright?" Speedy shrugged. "Speedy..it's…I don't know how to tell ya this…but..it looks like it was… the Ninja Crows were the ones responsible for what's been going on. The Ninja Crows were the ones that planted all of Polly's stuff around so you'd see it…and.." Guido produced the flute. "They also were the ones who were making the music you've been hearing."

Speedy's eyes grew wide. "The….the Ninja Crows? Not…not Polly?"  
"No," Guido said softly.

"Don't worry, Speedy, we got em for ya," Good Bird said. "Guido here gave them SUCH a drumming they'll be hurting for a month…and I'll give them worse than that myself if they even dare to come back here!"

Speedy's face grew a deadly white and he acted like he didn't even hear what Good Bird was saying. "It…it wasn't Polly? She…wasn't trying to talk to me. It…was..the …Crows…not her?"

Guido felt pained at seeing Speedy so miserable. "No…no it wasn't…I'm sorry Speedy."

"Those heartless immoral beasts!!" Francine cried. "How could they do that?! Those…those sewer rats, those creeps!! Don't they have any trace of feeling at all…" she stopped when Guido cleared his throat loudly. Francine looked at Speedy, who was practically crumbling on the rock, his face pale and wet from tears and his body sullen and withdrawn. "Oh, Speedy, I'm sorry!" she said, going over to him.

"I am too. Here we are talking about what lowlifes those Ninjas are, and practically ignoring you…are you alright? Speedy?" At first Speedy didn't answer, just sat there looking like his world ended. Finally he jumped up from the rock. Guido reached for him, but he backed away.

"excuse me," he muttered, before running upstairs and slamming the door to his room.

Speedy sat by the windopane in his room, his hands folded in front of him and his head resting on top of them in anguish. why did Guido have to do that…why did he have to say that?! Didn't he know that that was all Speedy had left?! He felt the tears coming again as a sense of abandonment came over him. Without Polly at all, he was cut off from the rest of the world, trapped here in this room where time stood still.

Guido paced around the room. "Maybe I shouldn't have told him about the flute...it did more harm than good.." he mumbled to no one in particular.

"He had a right to know, Guido," Francine said, staring at her hands. "You didn't do anything wrong. Those Crows did. I don't think it would have been any better to keep leading him on."

"No...but he still would have had something.." he muttered before finally crossing over to the counter and slamming his hand on the table so hard it made Francine and Lucielle jump.

"Guido.." Francine began.

"Fran, I just feel so helpless. My best friend's been hurt beyond belief, and I can't do anything about it! I can't even tell him it'll get better soon."

Lucielle came over and wrapped her arm around Guido's shoulders, pulling him to her. "You're THERE for him, Guido," she said. "We're ALL here for him! That's the best any of us can do. "

"Just doesn't seem like enough," Guido said, hugging Lucielle's arm. "Just doesn't seem like enough at all. I know we've had our share of fights...but he's like a brother to me. Whenever he's sad...it breaks my heart. Just breaks my heart. I can't bear to see him like this. And...I don't know what else to do."

"No one can do anything," General Catton said. "He has to get through this himself. All we can do is be there and support him." The rest of the Rescue Team nodded. "Rotton Crows! I'll soak all of them so bad none of em will ever be able to fly again," Spritz said.

"Save some for us," BatCat said. "I'm eager to drop them 100 feet into the ground myself."

"We'll all tar and de-feather them if they dare to show up here again," Catton said angrily. "But the thing to do for right now is support Speedy and help him out."

"Doesn't feel like enough," Guido said.

"It is for now," Catton said.

Speedy buried his head in his hands and remained totally still- for how long, he didn't even know. He was half angry at the Crows for this prank...and half angry at Guido for letting him know about it. "_Why couldn't ya have just not told me, Guido?" _he thought to himself. _"Why couldn't ya have just let me be?! Why take that away too? That...that was all I had left! Even if it wasn't her...I thought it was..and that's what kept me going...and..that would have been enough for me, Guido! That...would have been enough!"_ He felt as if what was left of his heart had been ripped out of his chest and flung in his face- still beating. He sighed. "Guido...I know ya meant well.." he thought. "But I wish ya never told me about those Crows. In fact, right now,...I wish I was never born!" All of a sudden the air in his room was stifling. The crushing pain in his heart was unbearable. His brain kept screaming '_Polly'_. He ran to the window and opened it up, taking deep breaths of the cleansing air...but it didn't help how he was feeling. The tears were coming again, fast and furious now. Polly had never tried to contact him. She was not there, had no way of returning, not at all! She could not contact him from Heaven any more than he could contact her. "_Those Crows might have tried to hurt me_," he thought. "_But little do those birdbrains know that they helped me! Their plan backfired, cause now I'm more miserable than I was when I DID hear the flute...then there was hope.." _he slumped against the wall. "I know those guys tried to cheer me up...they tried to make me feel better..tried to let me know I matter...but it DOESN'T matter! Without Polly I have nothing...NOTHING! What point is there as to even going on anymore?" he sobbed openly. He raised his head and stared at the starry sky above him. "This is what ya wanted, isn't it, Cheese?! we were supposed to be together forever! we were inseparable….Cheese knew that! He knew the only thing that would separate us is death! And...he did that." He stared at the ground. "Cheese won! I can't believe I'm saying this….but it's true…he won! NO matter what we do to him..no matter if we defeat him or not…Polly's dead, just the way he wanted! Polly and I are separated…permanently. I'm more miserable than ever before, and Cheese knows this…I can't believe I'm saying this, but Cheese's plan actually worked. Even if we defeat him and send him back to Prisoner's Island, he'll win anyway, cause Polly and I will never be together at all!" He slammed his fist into the windowsill. "Cheese…I'll be damned if I let you win anything, including this! I'll show you, I'll have the last laugh on you ya bastard…or rather, me and POLLY will!" He paced around the room, balling his hand and hitting his open palm. "I can't even go out anymore, I can't see anything without thinking of her!" He would never get his old life back, never have anything to fill his days but the inescapable sorrow of missing Polly. The only happy moments he had now were visiting the tomb where he could imagine her there, and dreaming of the times they shared. He couldn't go on like this much longer…just wasting the day away, pining for the love he could no longer have. "what kind of life is that?" he thought bitterly. "Just living for my dreams…but it's not like I can do anything else anymore without missing her." There was nothing to live for anyway...just the dark blank hole inside of him. "If my dreams are better than my real life…maybe I should just live in my dreams!" His heart began to beat faster as the thought took root in his mind. "Death was the only thing that could separate us, Polly….but it won't have that power now! Cheese…so help me..you will NOT win. I'll beat ya ya bastard! Polly and I will! You won't win! No matter what, Poly and I will be together forever!"

The next morning Guido got up to hear mysterious noises in the kitchen. He blinked hard a few times and glanced at the clock. what, was Fran up already? He got out of bed, quickly showered, and changed into his uniform. He carefully made his way down the stairs to be greeted by the sight of Speedy smiling from ear to ear and chopping up pizza ingredients! For a moment Guido stood stunned. Speedy was humming to himself and a bit of color was coming to his cheeks. Speedy looked up. "Howdy, Guido!" he greeted in a perpetually grinning voice. "Good morning!"

"Uh…good morning, Speedy. How are ya doing?"

"I'm feeling a lot better now, Guido. Thanks a lot for caring. "

"You sure you're feeling better, Speedy?" Guido asked suspiciously. As refreshing as it was to see Speedy back on his feet, wasn't it a little too soon to be fully out of the woods?

"Yeah. I'm sure, Guido. Sit down, I got something special I cooked for ya," Guido sat down suspiciously as Speedy dished out a huge breakfast. Eggs, sausage, bacon, pancakes. Guido stared at this.

"Speedy, what's all this?!"

"Just a little something I whipped up for ya, my way of saying thanks for all that you've been doing for me."

"Speedy," Guido laughed a bit. "I really don't deserve this special treatment!"

Speedy sat down across from him. "Yeah ya do, Guido. You deserve all of this. My way of saying thank you for helping me out when I needed ya and for taking over my pizza route as well as your own. I know it wasn't easy…"

"Forget it, Speedy. I was glad to do it for ya," Guido said. "what are best friends for?"

"Got that right," Speedy grinned. Guido stared at Speedy. Even though he looked alright, Guido couldn't shake the fact that his eyes were still glassy and unfocused, even though he seemed to be filled with inexplicable energy. Guido wondered where on earth he got all this energy…but he forced himself to be quiet. After all, didn't he swear to himself that he'd be a true best friend from now on? "So anyway, Guido, I know that these past two weeks haven't been easy for you at all…so I really wanna thank you. So, I'm gonna give you the day off today. Today. I'LL take over your pizza route. You sit down and relax. Today's your day off."

"Really, Speedy? I mean…are ya sure you're up to going through Tokyo today?"

For a moment Speedy looked down, than looked up and smiled at Guido. "Absolutely, Guido. I can do it…I want to do it. You go and take a load off today. Go see Lucielle…and when ya do, you can give her this." Speedy pulled a solid gold locket out of his pocket, opened up Guido's hand, and dropped the locket into it. Guido stared at it for a moment and looked at Speedy. "Speedy…this is your mother's locket that you kept in your safe deposit box after your Mom died. You were gonna give this to Polly as a wedding present. You love this locket!"

"I know," Speedy sighed. "But..I have no one to give this to anymore. You're my best friend, and you're dating Lucielle. You both deserve this a lot more than I do. Please, Guido…take it."

Francine came downstairs just then. "Hey, what smells so good?" she stopped in her tracks. "Speedy!" she cried out happily. "You're down. How are you feeling?"

Speedy smiled and came to her. "Much better Fran! In fact, in order to thank Guido for being a friend to me, and for getting me through this, I told him he could have a day off today. I'll take over all the deliveries."

"All of them?!" Francine asked. "Speedy…are you sure you can handle it?"

"Absolutely, Fran. I…I kinda have to go today...there are a lot of people I haven't seen in a while that I wanna see again."

"well, if you're sure.."

"Sure I'm sure, Fran. Sit down, there's plenty of food for you for breakfast. You enjoy, I'll go chop up some ingredients. But first…I wanna thank you so much for being there for me, along with Guido." He pulled another object from his pocket and put it into Francine's hand. "Just a little something to say thank you."  
Francine looked at what she held. It as a small clay bird with intricate designs. It was made by his late Mom who was a beautiful potter. "But, Speedy, your Mom made this bird herself. You kept it in your room when she died, you cherish it."

"I know…but you and Guido did so much for me, you deserve this. Take it, Fran. I insist." Speedy hugged Francine so hard she felt like she was going to be strangled. "Thanks, Fran...for everything..."Speedy said.  
Francine carefully smiled. "Uh...you're welcome.." she said as she gentily disentangled herself from Speedy's hug. She went to sit down next to Guido, who looked at her suspiciously.  
"What did he give to you?" he asked. Francine held out the bird, causing Guido to widen his eyes. "That's one of this favorite things! What are you doing with it?"  
"Same thing you're doing with that locket," Francine pointed out. Guido fingered the gold chain and put it in his pocket.  
"I don't know, Fran," Guido said. "I mean, it's good to see him getting back on his feet...but so soon? And, what's with the sudden change of attitude? Just yesterday he was sobbing out his heart...now a few hours later he's grinning from ear to ear and giving us this stuff?"  
"OK, breakfast is served!" Speedy placed a huge dish of food in front of Francine...about the same amount of food Guido had. Speedy sat down between them and started eating. As happy as Guido and Francine were to see Speedy eating and talking again...something just was...strange.  
Speedy looked up through a mouthful of food and swallowed. "How's the food, guys?"  
"It's great," Guido said, cutting some pancakes.  
"Mmm, it's delicious," Francine said, finally digging in. "I didn't know you could cook this good, Speedy! Maybe you should be the new chef!" She caught what she was saying...no thanks to Guido kicking her under the table and giving her a death look that immidiately shut her up. Speedy however laughed a tiny bit at that.  
"Yeah..heh, heh...maybe," he said, not really looking up, just cutting off another piece of pancake, savoring every morsel.  
"Hey, what smells so good in here, guys? I didn't think ya opened for another hour," Good Bird said, coming in with Carla. "Hey, Speedy! Nice to see ya...how are ya dong?"  
"I'm feeling a lot better now, Good Bird. Here sit down, join us!"  
"Thanks!" Carla said, sitting down with Good Bird as Speedy dished out some more eggs, sausage, and pancakes. Carla cut some.  
"Mmmm! These are yummy! Who cooked them?"  
"Speedy did," Francine said.  
"My way of thanking these guys for helping me and for standing by me." He stood up. "You and Carla deserve something as well...don't know how I could have made it without ya!"  
"Hey, what are friends for?" Good Bird said. "You did for me," he squeezed Carla's hand. "Now I do for you."  
"I really appreciate that," Speedy said, reaching into his apron. "And, I got a couple ya presents for ya," he pulled out a few things that made Guido and Francine gasp. 'Here, Good Bird, I want ya to have this," he put an old rusty medal into Good Bird's hand. "Just to let ya know that you're a true, honest hero."  
"Speedy, what are ya doing? That's your dad's medal from when he was a Samurai! When he died you kept it in your pocket to give you strength, you said you'd never part with it!" Guido said.  
"I know...but Good Bird deserves it for how he's helped me," Speedy said.  
"Speedy..I can't accept your dad's medal!" Good Bird said. "I never knew your Dad...and doesn't this have sentimental value to you?"  
"Yeah..it does...but it's better for you. It did its job for me, Good Bird..now I want you to keep it..so it can help you gain strength and encouragement. take it..I insist."  
Good Bird stared at it. "Thank you."  
"I didn't forget about you, Carla," he put something shiny into Carla's hand. Carla stared at it. A small silver pin.  
"It's lovely, thank you."  
"That was my Mom's. That's an old family heirloom, passed down from generation to generation in the Cerviche family. Polly was supposed to have that.." he voice trailed off.  
Carla looked up. "Oh, Speedy...are you sure?"  
"Carla...I can honestly say I never plan on getting married..so I got no use for that pin. It's yours...and you can pass it on to any daughters you might have."  
Carla hugged Speedy tightly. "Thank you, Speedy. And, if I have a daughter...I'm gonna name her Polly."

A little later Speedy was zipping up ad all over town, delivering pizzas left, right and sideways, without any signs of slowing down...although he did make it a point to talk to all of the people he delivered to. The talks seemed to be a bit strange to the customers as he would say things like how much he cherished their friendship over the years and it was so great to be delivering pizzas for them. He even gave a few of his closer customers small gifts like he had given to Guido, Francine, Good Bird, and Carla. Just small trinkets like free coupons for the Parlor, or tiny amounts of money he secretly passed to them.."for the kid's education" he'd say.  
Guido was enjoying his time off and was sitting at a booth reading when Speedy came in cheerfully. "Hiya, guys! How're ya doing, Guido? Can I get ya anything?"  
Guido looked up. "I'm alright, Speedy."  
"You sure, Guido? I can pick ya up a soda.."  
"Speedy..I'm fine," Guido said softly. He wanted to tell Speedy all this pampering was starting to drive him crazy...but he knew he didn't want to set him off into a relapse when it looked like he was starting to pull out of the woods.  
"Speedy?" Francine called out. "One extra cheese and pepperoni for Sylvia, please."  
"Comin right up," Speedy said, taking the pack and leaving again. "I've been wanting to see Sylvia!"  
Gudio made sure he was gone and walked up to Francine. "Fran...aren't ya a bit spooked out by how Speedy's behaving? I mean, he's so cheerful after crying his eyes out almost all night, he's giving away his prized things, now he's giving us the royal treatment and spending time talking to almost every one of our customers?"  
"I know...but I think he's just throwing himself into is work to take his mind off...things. ya know, I read somewhere that's how folks can deal with tragedies. Throw themselves into work and do all they can so they don't end up thinking of what happened."  
Guido sighed. "I hope that's ALL it is, Fran."

Speedy made his way over to Sylvia's house and knocked eagerly at the door. Sylvia answered and stood, surprised. "why, Speedy, hello! Nice to see YOU here!"

"Hiya, Sylvia, I got your pizza."

"Thank you, Speedy. So…how are you doing? How's my favorite delivery Cat?"  
"Actually, Sylvia, I'm feeling an awful lot better. How's one of my favorite customers?"

"Happy to see you up and about. You sure you are alright?" she asked, giving him his money and a generous tip.

"Yeah. In fact, today I'm making it a rule to go around and see as many people as I can today…it's important that I do. So, how are you doing? How's your husband and son?"

"Oh, they're fine, Speedy. Junior's taking a nap right now."

"Oh, well, I don't wanna disturb him." He peeked inside at the sleeping baby and smiled, lingering for a while. "Give him a hug for me when he wakes up, will ya?"

"I'll be sure to."

"How's your husband doing? How's work?"  
"It's great. In fact, my husband just got a promotion!"

"Hey, congratulations!"

"Thank you. Aren't you gonna be late getting back?"

"well, before I go..I just wanna tell ya how great it's been to be your Delivery Cat all this time. I've really enjoyed getting to deliver pizzas to you…and say hi to your kid." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a written piece of paper. "For the kid…for his college education. Take care of yourselves, OK?" He gave her a small hug and left. Sylvia watched him go.

"Gracious…anyone would think he never expected to see me again!" She gazed at the paper in her hands and as surprised to find a check for a generous amount in her hand!

when Speedy got back, he put down the pack. "Hey, Fran? I'm going on break right now, I gotta make a phone call." Fran nodded and handed a pizza to Sprtiz as Speedy went to the phone and dialed a number. "Hi, Uncle Irving? Hey, it's me, Speedy! How are ya? Oh, I'm fine. Yeah, I can honestly say I'm feeling a lot better now. Look, Uncle, the reason I'm calling is..just to say thank you for helping my Mom and Dad take care of me when I was a Kitten." Francine stopped and cocked her head to listen. "Yeah, thank you for taking me to the zoo when I was nine..and thanks for all those great family dinners. Yeah…no..no I'm fine, really. Yeah..I really am alright. Take care of Aunt Lydia…and I'll see ya. I love you both. OK, gotta go back to work. K, bye." He hung up and turned back to Francine. "Ok, Fran. I'm back."

"Uh..OK, Speedy. In that case, one meatball and sausage pizza for Lucielle."

"You got it,!' He took the pizza and made his way over to Guido. "Uh..Guido. Ya know I'm only taking the pizza over as a friend, right? I mean..I'm only gonna say hi and talk with her a bit. Nothing else, ya understand.."

"Yeah, if course, Speedy," Guido said. "I know. I trust ya. Tell her I'll be over to see her in a little bit."

"Ok, cause all I'm gonna do is just deliver a pizza to a friend's ….who's JUST my friend."  
"I know. It's OK," Guido said. In truth, Guido minded a tiny but, but he was NOT going to do or say anything that would set Speedy off. After all, he had just sworn to be the best friend he could be to him, and he was NOT going to break that vow.

Lucielle went to answer her door, surprised at who was on the other side. "Speedy!' she called out happily. "So nice to see you out and about!"

"Hi there, Lucielle, I have your pizza here."

"Oh thank you, Speedy. How are you feeling today?"  
"I'm starting to feel a lot better, Lucielle."

"Oh, that's good. would you like to come in and have a cup of tea? On the house."

"Sure, Lucielle, thanks a lot." as he walked inside Lucielle made sure to step in front of him and use her body to block out the shrine to Polly she kept in her front hall. She prayed that it worked. To her relief Speedy walked right to the main room without seeming to look at it. She breathed a sigh of relief.

A little while later Speedy was talking with Lucielle in her teahouse. The more he talked the more worried Lucielle felt. He seemed to want to reminice about good times they had all had..including with Polly. Every mention of Polly's name made Lucielle wince a bit but Speedy's eyes were filled with faraway looks of pure joy as the memories came flooding back to both of them. Speedy also wanted to know all about her day, which Lucielle was happy to talk about with him. Finally Speedy glanced at his watch and stood up. "I better get going before Guido starts to get suspicious."

Lucielle smiled. "well, it was certainly great to see you again! Please come back as soon as you can. I'm always here whenever you need me, Speedy."

Speedy looked down a bit. "Uh…yeah, Lucielle. I appreciate that. I mean that, I really do." He gave her a big hug. "Thanks for always being there, Lucielle…and for being a friend. I want you to remember this..you're a really smart girl Lucielle. Don't ever let anyone ever tell you otherwise. Thanks for being a friend." He slipped something into her hand.

"I don't know, Guido…has he been acting like this all day?" Lucielle asked him when he came over to visit her later that afternoon.

"Pretty much," Guido said.

"I don't know…he seemed so nostalgic for old times, then he says those things to me…then he gives me this.." she held out to him what Speedy had slipped into her hands. "Speedy says that he really wanted me to have this cause he says I'm such a good friend to him.." it was a small framed picture showing Speedy, Polly, and Guido, along with Francine, Al, and Lucielle at the Pizza Parlor. "You don't mind do you? I mean, he just gave this to me! I didn't ask for it or anything."  
Guido did mind a little cause of Speedy's behavior..but all he said as "No, of course not." Lucielle looked relieved, but worried.

"Guido..I'm afraid for Speedy..while I'm glad to see him out again…I don't know if he's really himself."  
Guido squeesed her hand. "I'll keep an eye on him," he promised. "I'm worried about him, too."

Meanwhile Speedy had just handed a pizza to Al Dante, who had ordered one. "Thank you, Speedy. How are you feeling right now?"

"I'm feeling better, actually Al. Thanks a lot for caring."

"Of course I care, Speedy. Both Princess Vi and I care about you very much. we've all been very concerned about your well-being lately."

"Tell Vi I do appreiate it very much. In fact, I don't know if I ever told ya this, but I've truly enjoyed working for ya and Vi. I've had such a great time and I was honored to lead such a great team!"

"_was_ honored? Speedy..are you planning on leaving Tokyo and came here to tell me?"  
"well…hee, hee, actually, Al…I'd rather not talk about this right now. It's rather personal."

"I'm sorry, Speedy, but if something's going on, I have to know it."

"Al, I promise, you'll know about it tomorrow. But I have something for ya in the meantime." He pulled out a long envelope. "This is actually for Princess Vi, to help with the treasury." He took out a rectangular box. Al opened it up and saw a pair of gold cummerbunds.

"why, Speedy, those look expensive!"

"well, I was gonna give them to you for Christmas, but I didn't wanna wait. I promise, Al, you'll know everything tomorrow," he then bowed low before Al. "And Al? Thanks for being a great boss…and a great friend."

Al watched him go. "You're welcome."

A little while later Francine picked up the phone. "Guido? Al's on the phone and he wants to see you immediately."

Guido quickly ran to Francine. "Speedy's on a delivery, tell Al I'll be there as soon as he gets back."  
"No," Francine said. "Al said he just wants to see YOU. Immidiately."

when Guido got there he knelt down to Al as a sign of respect. "what's up, Big Al?"

"Guido…have you noticed anything unusual about Speedy lately?"  
"well, only today, actually."

"As glad as I am to see him back on his feet…he's acting rather odd.."

"He was here, Al?"  
"Delivering a pizza to the Palace…but he stayed around and was talking to me in the most…you would think he never expected to come here again! He also donated some money to the Royal Treasury." he showed Guido the check, Guido whistled.

"wow, that's a lot of money!"  
"Indeed. Tell me, Guido…has Speedy talked at all about leaving Tokyo?"  
"well...he did mention wanting to leave Tokyo a few days ago…but Good Bird, Lucielle, Francine, and I talked him out of it."

"why did he want to leave?"

"He wanted to apply for a transfer, Al, cause he couldn't deal with all the memories of Polly that this town has. He misses her so much, he's not himself anymore."

"You think he might have changed his mind and now wants to leave again?"  
"I don't know, Al. I hope not."

"He told me that I'll know tomorrow. Could be he'll tell us then if he intends to leave?"  
"Maybe," Guido looked down and sighed. "Maybe we shouldn't have tried to talk him out of leaving. Maybe he really CAN'T handle Tokyo."

"No, Guido, don't blame yourself. we need Speedy. He's incredibly valuable."

"I know that, Al."

"Look, Speedy said we'll know tomorrow. But keep an eye on him until then."

"Right, Al."

Later that night, Speedy as playing poker with Guido, Francine, Lucielle, Cosmo, Myoshi, and the Rescue Team. Speedy seemed to be doing a lot better and concentrating on the game. He was inning every other hand, like he used to, and seemed to be enjoying himself.

"wow, Speedy, I can't believe it, ya won again!" Spritz said incredulously.

"Yeah. wow, Speedy, you're on a roll tonight!" Meowzma said. "Another round?"  
"why not? Set em up!" Speedy said. "Anyone for a soda?"  
"I'd love one," Cosmo said.

"Me, too," BatCat added.

"OK, I'll set them up and be right back!" Speedy disappeared in the kitchen.

"I'm glad to see Speedy seems to be feeling better," Catton said,.

"Yeah. It's good to see him back on his feet again," BatCat added.

"I don't know guys," Guido said.

"Hat do ya mean ya don't know?" Myoshi said.

"Guys..don't ya think it's kinda funny how cheerful he seems to be? I mean, this just seemed to happen almost overnight! One day he's crying, next he's so eager to work…it's weired."

"I think ya might be exaggerating, Brother," Cosmo said. "He's probably just throwing himself into his work. A lot of guys do that when they're facing tragedy.." just then Speedy came in with a tray of soda and a handful of envelopes.

"Ok, here are the drinks," he said, passing them around. "And something else, too. Rescue Team, Cosmo, Myoshi…I just wanna thank you all for just being there for me when I needed all of you. Your friendships are something I fully treasure, so as a token of my appreciation, I want all of you to have these." Speedy passed the envelopes around to the team, Cosmo, and Myoshi. As they opened the envelopes, they all gasped at the huge amounts if the checks.

"wow, Speedy," Spritz said.

"Speedy…this is too much!" Myoshi said. "This amount..it's bigger than anything I've ever gotten!"

"Speedy…this is a lot of money, are you sure this is right?" BatCat asked.

"It is, and I want you all to have every dollar! You guys…I never told you this before…but I cherish you all so much. You guys have been fantastic friends to me…and..I love all of you!" Speedy went around to hug everyone. Lucielle, Francine, and Guido exchanged worried looks.

Afterwards, Speedy and Guido were holed up in Guido's room, sharing a late night gabfest like they used to. Guido couldn't help but notice that, like his visit to Lucielle, Speedy was all too eager to share memories of the past….when they were fighting and running the Pizza Parlor with Polly. But he also laughed and joked around with Guido like nothing had happened! Guido glanced at his watch. "Speedy," he said gentily, trying to watch his words, "this has been a lot of fun, but I gotta go take a shower.."

"Yeah, I got things to do as well….a lot of important things in my room," Speedy stood up. "Guido…I want you to know that..I enjoyed tonight more than I could say. I know we had our share of fights and disagreements…but through it all, Guido, you're my very best guy friend! Throughout all we've been through, I've cherished what we have." He shook Guido's hand, then pulled him into a hug. Guido looked surprised, but hugged Speedy back. "Thanks...for being there." Finally taking a deep breath he walked back into his room.

A little while later, Guido finished showering and was passing Speedy's room. He couldn't help but notice it looked like Speedy was cleaning out his room. He poked his head in as he saw Speedy was arranging things in nice, neat piles. "Hey, Speedy…doing a clean-up job?"

"You could say that."

"Need a hand?"

"No thanks, Guido, I'm almost done."

"OK…well, let me know if I can help in any ay."

"No, thanks. I think I got everything in it's place." Guido looked at the room. In addition to it being thoroughly cleaned up and out, lot of things were on the floor, arranged in neat piles.

"Uh..all right. So…ya don't need any help?"

"No, thanks, Guido. But…there's one thing you can do for me."

"Yeah, Speedy?"

Speedy slowly walked across his room and picked up his Ginzu sword. He unsheathed Binky and laid it against the wall, going up to Guido. "Guido…I want you to hold onto this tonight, and give it to Al tomorrow."

Guido looked, shocked. "Speedy…why are you giving me your Ginzu?!"

"Cause I trust you with it, Guido. Please just keep it with you..and make sure you give it to Al tomorrow morning. He'll know what to do with it."

"Speedy," Guido began. "why? Are ya planning on leaving Tokyo after all?"  
"Guido..you'll find out tomorrow. Honest. I'm really tired and I wanna get some sleep. I promise, you'll be one of the first ones to know tomorrow what's what. But for now, I trust you with my Ginzu more than I trust anyone. So, please, just for tonight, keep the Ginzu sord safe with you, and take it to Al tomorrow. Do you promise you'll do that?"  
"Sure, Speedy. I promise I'll do whatever ya need…but…Speedy, why?"

"Guido, you'll find out first thing tomorrow morning. Just please do that tonight for me. OK?"  
Guido looked at the Ginzu. "Sure," he said. "I'll take care of it. It won't leave my sight…IF you promise tomorrow that you'll tell me what's going on."

"I promise, Guido." Speedy yawned. "Good night, I'm gonna turn in real soon."

"Ok," Guido said. But to his surprise Speedy hugged him tightly and shoved more money in his hands.

"Speedy, I.."

"I insist, Guido. My way of saying thank you for being a friend. Take it and be happy. Good night, Buddy."

"Good night," Guido said hesitantly as he went into his room. Speedy watched him go and sighed. One thing done and crossed off his list. He turned toward his room and finished cleaning it out. He looked in every drawer, at this point empty, making sure he forgot nothing. He looked into his almost bare closet. OK, nothing there except what he needed for tomorrow. He walked back to the piles on the floor. Neatly he straightened out each pile and took a small sticky note pad. writing a name on each, he stuck one on top of each pile: which pile of stuff was for Francine, which one was for Good Bird, which one was for Lucielle, Carla, Al, his Uncle and Aunt...and Guido. He reached into his closet and pulled out the sole remaining thing in there- the pale blue suit Polly had given to him that time he tried to have a date with Lucielle and keep a mission with Polly at the same time. He had loved this suit, cherished this suit ever since- it was the suit he was planning to be married in! Having had it cleaned and pressed that afternoon, he hung it on the windowsill. It would do it's job tomorrow. One way or another, he was gonna meet Polly in that suit! Taking a towel and soap he headed for the shower. He staid in there an extra long time. After all if, he was gonna meet Polly tomorrow, he was gonna make sure he was thoroughly clean. After he finished, he put on his pajamas and carefully added his uniform to the pile that said 'AL'. Sitting down at his desk, he began to write a long and thorough letter to Guido. when he had finished, he began one to Fran. Finally he had had one to Guido, one to Fran, one to Lucielle, and one to Good Bird. He sealed the envelopes and wrote the names on them. He neatly lined the envelopes up by the edge of his desk and stood up. He mentally went over all he did..OK, it looked like everything was all taken care of, everything had been done. All that was left was to get to sleep and prepare for tomorrow…when he and Polly would finally be reunited forever! He knelt down by his bed and crossed himself.

"God," he began. "Lord..I know that what I'm about to do tomorrow..everyone thinks is a mortal sin. But, Lord…please, have mercy on me. Please understand, Polly is such a big part of my life, I can't even picture any life at all without her in it. If this is a mortal sin, I'm asking you, please, Lord, forgive me. Polly was my life, my whole world…we belonged to each other, Lord. Without her, I have no life, no world….I can't live without her! I can't handle this pain anymore, this emptiness no one can fill. I know Polly's in Heaven…God, if it's possible, please let me join her tomorrow. Please have mercy on me, forgive me for what I'm about to do, please understand, and let me be with her tomorrow. I loved her so much..I can't live without her. Forgive me and take me up there. Amen." He turned down his bed and picked up Polly's picture, holding it close to his chest as he gazed upon the lightened windows of Little Tokyo. His eyes took in the beauty of the nighttime in this lovely town..this town he was about to leave. Finally, he glanced at Binky, still up against his wall. Good, it was there, where he could see it, He would definitely need that tomorrow. He climbed into bed and snuggled up against Polly's picture, which he had brought into bed with him, kissing it tenderly. _"Soon, my Kitten,_" he thought happily.' _Very, very soon. Cheese tried to take you away from me, but he won't succeed. we'll be together tomorrow..together forever!" _


	26. Butterfly

The songs here are 'Hanky Panky' by Tommy James and The Shondells, and 'All By Myself' by Celine Dion

"Good-bye, Guido. Good-bye, Francine," Speedy said, running his hands over the cold glass on the photographs on his wall while his other hand clutched his sword and his letters tightly. He was wearing the suit Polly had given him and had washed his face and brushed his teeth. "_Have to look my best when I see Polly_," he thought. He looked at the pictures one last time. He, Polly, and Guido looked so young and so happy posing in front of the Pizza emporium on the day it opened with Francine standing out in front. "_I'll be so happy like that when I'm with Polly again!_" he thought, feeling warm all over. Now that he knew he was going to be with her , a peaceful glow of calm had come over him. Everything was lovely. He looked out the window. It was so early in the morning the sky was a pale blue twilight, and hardly anyone was up. It was quiet…peaceful...perfect! Just the right time for him to end his old life- before he began a new, ecstatic one with Polly.

As he came out of his room and made his way down the hall, he stopped at Guido's door and taped his letter to his door. He went to Francine's room and taped her note to her door. He slowly walked back…and stopped at the door to Polly's room. For a moment he just stood there, gazing upon it. No one could go in there ever since the morning she'd died and Fran slammed the door. Speedy looked at this door, this door that held the very items his ladylove had known and cherished! Part of her own life was in this room…and soon they would take it all apart! He finally couldn't take it and put his hand on the doorknob, turning it and opening the door. He stood at the doorway of the room, until, drawn by some powerful instinctive force, he stepped across the threshold into the charmed circle of Polly's space. Already the neatly organized room looked like it hadn't been abandoned for to eeks, but for to years. He opened the door of the closet and ran his hands lovingly over all the familiar, faded fabrics Polly had worn. Here was the pink- green- and blue outfit she had worn when they went on those assignments for Al Dante. Here was the kimono she had worn when she went to charm school. Here was her Pointless Sister's outfit. Her perfume even hung faintly over some of the clothes. He gathered a handful of sleeves and burrowed his face into them, inhaling deeply. He laid his cheek against them, looking forward to the moment when these sleeves would be Polly's arms. He moved over to her Garfield collection and fingered each and every part. Every book, every stuffed plush, every snowglobe. He then moved to the nightstand, where a picture of him and Polly stood. Polly was in her Pointless Sister dress, Speedy was in a nice suit and tie. Their arms were around each other, their heads leaning on each other, and standing right outside the pizza parlor. Speedy took the picture and gazed at it. He remembered when that picture was taken, on their first real, official date as a couple! Just before he put it back, he noticed a folded up piece of paper that was tucked right under it. It looked familiar. He picked up the paper and unfolded it. It was the card that he had slipped into a huge boquet of flowers he had gotten on their first date! It was really a rather pathetic attempt at poetry, but knowing him it was the best he could do. _'Roses are red, daffodils are yellow. whenever I see you, I feel like a lucky fellow. All my love, Speedy._' Speedy had to laugh, man, this was pathetic! what was he thinking even TRYING to write poetry?! He should have bought a Hallmark and stuck with what he knew! Just then a thought crept into his mind…_she kept this! _This dumb attempt at poetry...stuck inside the first gift he had given to her when they officially became a couple.…this tiny 5 cent card…she kept it! Not only did she keep it, it was in one of her favored spots, right on her nightstand. HIS poem! The one that he wrote..his feeble attempt at expressing his love…and she not only kept it..she loved it! His heart filled with love for her all over again! Carefully he put the card and picture right back where he found them. His mind drifted away to their very first date in a restaurant as a couple:

_Polly and Speedy were walking hand in hand to the restaurant where Speedy had made reservations. Polly was wearing a bright white dress with red polka-dots that Speedy wasn't sure he had ever seen her in before. Looking at her just now, just a few feet from him with the sun shining down on her, highlighting her lovely red tresses…she was so beautiful it took his breath away. WHy had it taken him so long to fully see it…then again, he had never been this close to her before! Had never seen how red her hair looked in the bright sunlight, how bright blue her eyes were…the color of the sky just before the sun came up in the morning and framed by naturally dark lashes. She looked at Speedy and smiled. God, she had such a beautiful smile! He gave her hand an affectionate squeese, which she happily returned. He finally dared to open his mouth. "You look stunning, Polly," he grinned. "Is that dress new?"  
"Yeah it is. I got it yesterday when I was shopping with Lucielle. Do ya like it?"  
"It's perfect!" he said. He reached up and picked a blossom from a nearby tree and tucked it tenderly in her hair, behind her ear. "There," he said. "Princess Vi's got nothing on you!"  
Polly blushed a bit and smiled. She really was cute when she blushed. "You're lucky she's not around to hear that!"  
"I don't care," he said honestly. "She can't hold a candle to you! You're the Princess today, Kitten." They reached the restaurant and Speedy glanced at the big windopane, seeing the reflection of them holding hands tightly. They both looked relaxed and happy- as though they'd been together not just for hours- but for years. Speedy opened the door to the place. Polly curtsied and smiled happily before going in. Speedy dared to slide his arm around her shoulders. Polly turned and blushed again, giving his hand a squeese. Speedy then gentily touched his lips to hers, feeling how soft her lips were, yet how much energy resonated through his body just from a simple peck. "Cerviche, party of 2," he told the waiter, who showed them to a small table far away from the crowd. Speedy pulled out a chair for Polly.  
"Chivalry lives," she teased, sitting down.  
"Hey, you're the Princess today! So, what do you want, Princess? It's my treat."  
"That's sweet of ya, Speedy. But I don't mind sharing the bill. WE can split it right down the middle!"  
"Huh? But, really, Polly, it's on me! It's my treat today."  
"You're nice, Speedy, but it's OK, you don't have to waste ALL your money on me!"  
Speedy covered her had with his own. "Polly…I love you. Today you're my Princess…and I wanna treat you like one!"  
Polly blushed. "That's not necessary, Speedy. I love you, too, but there are 2 of us on this date, right? I make as much money as you do. So why can't we split the bill right down the middle? It's OUR date, we should share. I insist."  
"Well, at least let me buy you some ice cream afterwards."  
She smiled. "OK!"_

_They looked through their menus for a few moments. "what'll ya have, Kitten?" he asked._

_Polly raised her head. "I think I'll start with the salad, then the flounder with hollandaise sauce and the new potatoes."_

_"That's it?"_

_"Yeah, that'll do." Speedy smiled again. _

_"Great. I think I'll have the steak and fried potatoes."_

_"Mmm…I'll share mine with ya if ya share yours with me!"_

_"You got it," Speedy lifted her hand up and kissed it, unable to believe how unselfish she truly was. whenever he tried to go out with Lucielle and told her it was his treat, she just took advantage of that by ordering practically the most expensive items on the menu! But Polly…she wasn't like that! Not only did she order a modest meal which she insisted on paying for herself, she as willing to share! The waiter came then and they gave their orders to him,. After which the musicians started to play a lovely melody. Speedy stood up. "Dance with me?"_

_Polly beamed "Sure!"_

_As they swayed back and forth, Speedy pulled her closer, realizing how comfortable he felt around her. "It's just so easy with Polly!" he thought. "Its so easy and natural!" with Polly there was no pretending, no acting macho, no making believe he was something he wasn't. They had grown up together, known each other since third grade. They lived together, worked together, did so many things together. They knew each other inside out and upside down! They knew each other's strength and weaknesses, their faults and best points about one another! It felt so good to be with someone he could fully be himself around! "Ok, I'm gonna attempt an adventurous move," he whispered into her ear. "Make sure your seatbelt is completely fastened." He let go of her waist and spun her out along his arm, her skirt twirling around her. He whirled her back in, her back fitting snuggly against his chest, and she looked at him._

_"Not bad, Pussycat. Not bad at all," he took her into his arms again and swayed along the floor, his lips meeting hers in a tender, sweet kiss._

Speedy had to smile at this memory from not-so-long-ago as he put the picture back. He picked up the sword and remaining letters and left the room after giving it one final hard look around. Soon he and Polly would be sharing a brand new room above the clouds..and they would never leave!

He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and gazed at a framed picture of the three of them at Samurai Graduation with Al in the background that hung on the wall. "Al...I have to talk to him one last time," he thought. He moved to the phone and dialed the palace. He wasn't surprised to hear the answering machine in his ear. After all, it was really early- the sun wasn't even up yet! "Al, it's me. I'm just calling to say goodbye," he wished Al could see how he was smiling, wished he could share in Speedy's happiness. "I'm going to go be with Polly now. Don't worry about me anymore- everything is fine. I documented my final wishes in letters I wrote to Guido, Francine, Good Bird, and Lucielle, so they know what to do. Polly and I are gonna be just fine now and hopefully we'll be able to be together forever! I'll tell her ya say 'Hi'. And tell Princess Vi it's been a pleasure and an honor to serve under her. Goodbye, Al. Take care." He put down the phone, took one last look around, opened the door and stepped out into the cold predawn. Out the door, through the yard, across the street. He was floating in a blissful haze. He stopped across the street and taped Good Bird's letter to his door. He then took off to the graveyard, stopping at Lucielle's home to tape her letter to her door, then he was off, with only one thing on his mind.

Meanwhile several of the Ninja Crows were sneaking through the town looking for a fruit stand to pilfer. "Come on, up and at em, let's go," one said.

"I'm comin, I'm comin," the other one said. "Come on, let's get this over with! why we gotta be out here anyway?!"

"Ya wanna eat, don't ya? Come on, Cheese told us to get more food."

"what if we get caught?"

"Look around ya idiot, it's so early the sun ain't even up yet! No one can see us."

"Yeah, yeah, but what if one of the Samurai's just happen to be up patrolling the town or something?"  
"Hah. wE got nothing to worry about, the most dangerous one of the three is in the tomb!"

"Hah, how soon we forget Speedy?"  
The Crow struck a melodramatic pose. "Alas, poor little Speedy! He's already dead! Struck down by a love song! And we should be scared of HIM?!"

"what about that one, Guido?"

"HAH! Guido? Guido Anchovy?! Please! Guido I-can't-pass-a-mirror-without-gazing-into-it Anchovy?! what's so great about him?! Oh, right! He's a Prince of Cats, only more so, he told me so himself! Oh, he's very suave! He fights like a giant. His thrust, his form are perfect, or so he says. All we gotta do is show that jerk a mirror, or a poster of a bakini-clad model, we can take him down easily when he's distracted!"

The second Crow laughed. "A curse on all fancy, pretentious phoneys such as Guido Anchovy! These trendy talkers, so full of themselves! wE don't need jerks like him around!"

"Don't I know it!" They passed by an umbrella stand and he took a spare umbrella and opened it, striking a fancy pose. "Hi," he said in an obviously phony southern accent. "I'm Guido. I'm the fanciest and most handsome of the Cats. Oh…did I say the PIZZA CATS?! I'm the most handsome Cat in all of TOKYO! All the ladies swoon all over me! Bring em on, ya can't have too many Ladies, I say! I can't commit, there are just too many Ladies with my name on em!' the other Crow couldn't stop laughing. Immidiately the Guido impersonator launched an impressive song-and-dance in his phony accent.

My baby does the hanky panky  
My baby does the hanky panky  
My baby does the hanky panky  
My baby does the hanky panky  
My baby does the hanky panky

Yeah

My baby does the hanky panky  
My baby does the hanky panky  
My baby does the hanky panky  
My baby does the hanky panky  
My baby does the hanky panky

I saw you walkin on down the line  
You know I saw you  
For the very first time  
A pretty little thing  
Standin all alone  
Hey, pretty baby  
Can I take you home  
I never saw ya  
Never ever saw ya

My baby does the hanky panky  
My baby does the hanky panky  
My baby does the hanky panky  
My baby does the hanky panky  
My baby does the hanky panky

Yeah, does it good, too, lets rock  
Hey

I saw you walkin on down the line  
You know I saw you  
For the very first time  
A pretty little thing  
Standin all alone  
Hey, pretty baby  
Can I take you home  
I never saw ya  
Never ever saw ya

My baby does the hanky panky  
My baby does the hanky panky  
My baby does the hanky panky  
My baby does the hanky panky  
My baby does the hanky panky

Ooh wow

My baby does the hanky panky  
My baby does the hanky panky  
My baby does the hanky panky  
My baby does the hanky panky  
My baby does the hanky panky

After that the Crows were laughing so hard they rolled on the ground. But a shadowy figure in the distance caught his attention. "Geez, it's Speedy!!" He called out.

"Speedy!!' they both screamed, jumping up and dashing around and around the pavement, bumping into one another in their confusion. "Don't let him see us!! Don't let him find us!!" The Crow that made fun of Guido ducked behind a light post that was so thin most of his body could still could be seen! The other Crow flew around and around until he tired himself out. Finally, realizing he had no where to turn, he stood still and pulled out his sword.

"OK, Cerviche," he said. "I ain't afraid of you! Come on, let's go! One-on-one!" But to his surprise Speedy walked right on by and didn't seem to even look at either one of them! "Uh…Cerviche? Speedy? Yo, Speedy? Ya hear me or what?"

The other Crow peeked out from his hiding place. "Ha….that was weird."  
"Yeah, he just walked right past us!"

"Ya think maybe he didn't see us?"

"You were right out there in public, dummy, of course he saw YOU!"

"Then, why'd he ignore me?!"

"I dunno. Think maybe we oughta tell Cheese?"

"Is the robot almost ready, Doctor?" Cheese asked. Heroshi and several of the

Crows were busy putting the finishing touches on the robot.

"Almost, almost…tell…tell ya what, tell ya what, tell ya what…got a wrench, got a wrench, got a wrench…"one of the Crows handed him one. "Oh, thanks. Ok…it looks like all we need ta do is tighten some more screws and give it a fresh coat of paint…oh, it's a beauty, it's a beauty. we're almost ready!"

"Great.." he glanced at the Ninjas nearest him. "well, don't JUST STAND AROUND, BIRDBRAINS!! You heard the Doctor! Get some cans of paint, it's still early, Hardly anyone can see ya, hurry before the sun comes out!" The two Ninja Crows then raced into the cave.

"Boss, boss!"  
"what kept both of you? where's our breakfast?"

"Forget that, Boss, we got information for ya!"

"Oh? what?"

"It's about Speedy, boss. He was acting…weird today."

"Speedy was up already?" Jerry asked.

"Yeah and he was acting really strange."

"Ya mean aside from how he usually acts?" Cheese cracked "Go get our breakfast and come back when you got some real news for us!!"  
"But this IS real news, Boss! wE were going to steal the breakfast, like ya wanted us too, when all of a sudden Speedy comes down the road! wE try to hide, but there's no place! Finally we pull out our swrods and prepare for a fight…but he just walked right past us! wE were right in front of him and he didn't even do so much as blink! He HAD to have seen us, but he just ignored us, like we weren't even there!"  
"Huh?"

"Yeah..and get this, he was wearing a suit and headed across the bridge over Ranguin Park!"

"was he holding anything?"  
"Yeah, his sword, why do ya think we challenged him…but it was like he didn't even hear us! He just walked on by, his eyes were straight ahead…it was weird!"

"what do you think it means, Symoure?" Jerry asked.

""Hmm….I don't rightly know, Jerry…you think he's going to the Palace to resign?"

"How could he be going to the Palace? It's not near Ranguin Park!"

"what did you say Speedy was wearing?" the doctor asked, coming up to them.  
"He was wearing a suit, carrying a sword, and going over the bridge."

"A sword? A suit? The bridge…Cheese, isn't the bridge where the graveyard is?"  
"Yeah, what's your point, Doctor?"

"well, this might be a shot in the dark..but I think Speedy has gone there to…how can I put this…to join Polly in Paradise."

"You don't mean.."

"If those clues give us any indication, I do mean. I do believe Speedy might be going to commit suicide."  
Cheese slowly began to smile. The smile stretched to every inch of his face. His eyes glowed with complete joy that spread throughout his body. He jumped straight up in the air and called out 'Yeeeeesssssss!!" he spread his arms wide. "Yes!! Yes!! Jerry, we did it!! wE've done it!! Oh God, I won!! I won!! I did it, I won!!" He grabbed Jerry's hands and started dancing with him around the room! "Didn't I tell ya this would happen Jerry?! Didn't I tell ya?! wE didn't have to shoot him, all we had to do was wait! He's doing the honors for us!!"

"Ah, Master, this is a glorious day, surely! A miracle had happened! Your plan has actually worked!"

"HA, HA, HA, I am so happy I'm gonna ignore that remark! ALL NINJAS!! Ya get the day off today!! Come, this calls for a celebration! The two most dangerous Cats are gone! Gone!! Gone!! That last one is a Cassanova, a pushover! wE can make him topple over like a domino! You got your mirrors?! Ha,ha!!"  
Cheese grabbed Jerry's hands again, "we won, because we won, because we won, because we won!!"

Dr Heroshi grabbed one of Cheese's hands and one of Jerry's before he joined in. "we won, because we won, because we won…" but the weasil stopped short. "Seymore?"

"Yeah?"

"what day is it today?"

"Thursday, Doctor. why?"  
He counted on his fingers and grew a bit pale. "Uh, Symore?"

"what? why do ya look like ya just swallowed half of Nagano?"  
"Because…according to my figures…we gave Polly the potion exactly 2 weeks from today!"

"So?"

"So?! Did you forget what I kept saying to you?! The potion only lasts for 2 weeks! She's going to wake up today!"

Cheese too grew a bit pale…but then his face relaxed into a mischievous smile. "Doctor…that's even better!!"

"what do you mean? She's going to wake up, he'll discover what we did!"

"No, he won't, Doctor! don't ya know about Hira-kiri, the ancient form of Samurai Suicide? It only takes 4 seconds. One upward thrust to the heart and that's it! Dead! By the time his body is discovered outside the tomb, she'll have already suffocated!"

"But what if he decides to break into the tomb to see her one last time? Things like this happen!"

"Haven't ya ever read Romeo and Juliet? It's obvious! She wakes up not knowing where she is or how she got there…and all she can see is her lover dead, bleeding on her lap…"

"She'll go all mad!"

"Ha,ha…and realizing she's holding a katana.." he pantomimed stabbing himself. "Oh happy dagger! Rust there, let her die!!"

"You think that's what will happen?"  
"I Know that's what will happen! As for the rest…hell, Cassanova will probably blame himself for not preventing this and kill himself….that feather-covered traitor might leave town..and before Al can do anything we sneak in and take over! HA, HA…oh I'm so clever I scare myself! Ha,ha!!"

"The first thing we'll do, is burn down that Pizza Parlor!"

"And we can make a new one! Making our own brand of Pizza! Also, that gold statue being unveiled today? That's getting torn down and replaced…by one of me! Dr., you've got your hospital, right in my palace!! Now, let's all do a dance!!" he started kicking up his heels. Jerry and the Doctor followed, as did the Ninja Crows. "Victory is mine at last, mine at last, mine at last! Tokyo is mine at last, tra, la,la,la,la!! Oh, Jerry…do you hear that?"

"what, early morning wind?"

"No, a quieter Little Tokyo! HA, HA, HA!! Come, Ninjas, lets go into the graveyard ourselves, and bask in our victory!"

Al stood by the answering machine, not breathing. He played the message again, hoping he had somehow heard it wrong or was overreacting. But the words that drifted through the room in Speedy's deliriously giddy voice was even more ominous than the first time. _"I'm going to go be with Polly now_," what could that possibly mean…and Al as scared he already knew!

"Please be there, Speedy," Al said, terrified, as he dialed the Pizza Parlor. "Please don't do anything drastic! Oh God, please!" The answering machine picked up. "Speedy, its me, Big Al. I'm on my way there. If you're listening I want you to stay there, and that's a direct order! _Please_ don't do anything until I get there!!"

"Al, what's going on, you're gonna wake everyone up!" Frieda said, coming out of her room. She noticed Al's face, white with worry. "Al, what is it?!"

"Mama? What's going on?" Vi asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes. Al pressed the button on the ,machine, and Speedy's giddy voice danced around the room. Frieda gasped, and Vi stood with her mouth open.

"Oh my God," Frieda cupped her hand over her mouth. "Dear God, no!!"  
"Mama…is Speedy.."

"Let's hope not, Violet! Let's seriously hope not!"

"I mean, I know losing Polly was hard on him, but good Lord, I never dreamed he'd kill himself! I have to get to the Pizza Parlor right away!"

"I'm going with you! wE'll take the limo!" She went to the phone and called her chauffer. "Get the limo, right away! Right now!"

"I'm coming too, Mama!"

"No, Violet. The statue unveiling is today, you have to work on your speech. Go to your room and work on it, I'll let you know everything when we get back." As soon as Vi had gone, Frieda dispatched 20 of her guards. "Listen up, I want all of you to stand guard at Vi's door while she works on her speech. I don't want any chance taken, what with Speedy not in his right mind and Symore still out there somewhere…I don't want to leave it up to anything, especially concerning what happened two weeks ago! I want extra guards at the window too, understand?"

"Yes, your Highness."

Frieda ran outside with Al as the limo pulled up. Immidiately they scrambled in. "To the Pizza Cat Pizza emporium! Let's go! Go, Go!! GO!! Hurry, a life is at stake!!"

"If we don't get there…"

"Don't say it, Al!"  
"Let me know, Mama!" Vi called out. "I'll be here…and I'll be praying."

"GUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDDDDDDDDDDOOOOOOOOOOO!!" Lucielle cried out aloud as she ran as fast as she could toward the Pizza Parlor, her missles trailing behind her and waving Speedy's letter in a panic. wally ran behind her. "GUUUIIIIIIIIIIIIIDDDDDOOOOOOOO!!"

Good Bird ran out of his restaurant with Carla next to him also clutching Speedy's letter. "Lucielle! You got one of these, too?" Lucielle showed him the note that was on her door.

Guido rushed out of the restaurant and Lucielle ran into his arms. There wasn't even any need to ask if Guido had gotten a note, the look on his face said it all. Finally he held up his own note. "Oh, God.." he gasped a bit. "Oh my God!"  
A long black limo quickly pulled up to the front, and Freida and Al scrambled out, racing up to the front. "Guido, is Speedy there with you?"

"No Al!"  
"Did you get one of these too?" Good Bird asked, holding out his note.

"No, Speedy called the Palace and left me a message." Al took the note from Good Bird and skimmed it, confirming his worst fears. "Oh my God!"

"Oh Lord, where did he go?! where is he?" Frieda asked.

"we gotta be quiet," Guido said. "I don't think it would be a good idea to wake up Fran, cause…" suddenly a high-pitched scream of terror filled the Parlor. "Too late!" They all ran in and upstairs as Francine dashed out of her room clutching her own letter. "Speedy!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! No, no, please, not you too!! No, Don't let this happen!!" She ran into Speedy's room and threw open the door. "Speedy!! Speedy, where are you?!"

"Oh God," Guido said again. "suddenly it all makes sense! The way Speedy was acting all day yesterday, the way he was giving away all his things..God, why didn't I see it?! He was trying to tell me..he was trying all this time! why didn't I see what was going on?! I knew he wasn't right. why didn't I let him go away from Tokyo?! I should have done that..I shouldn't have begged him to stay if he was that alone! He was so nostalgic for the past!" by that time Guido was frantic. "I should have picked it up!!"

"Guido, this is no time to blame yourself!" Al said. "we have to try to find Speedy."

"You're right, Al. I swear I'm gonna turn Cheese inside out for doing this to him! Damn that stupid rat! That brain-dead, heartless, worthless bastard!!

Francine dashed out of the room. "He's not there!" Frieda clasped her hand over her mouth.

"Look, Polly's door is open! He must have gone in there!"

"Ya think he might still be…" Carla's voice trailed.

Lucielle started to sob and wally rubbed her shoulders. "I…I don't understand…why didn't he just come to me?! I could have tried my best to help! How could I have known he was all alone?!"

"we all should have seen it!" Good Bird said. "I should have seen it when gave me his Dad's medal."

"OK, so who wants to check out that room?" Al said.

"And do it quick, we're wasting time!" Frieda said quickly.

"I'll go," Lucielle said. She started to go in, but stopped short. "I want someone to go with me!" Guido gulped and put his arm around Lucielle as they went in together. A few seconds later they emerged, Lucielle's face pale, Guido's was scared. "He's not there!"

"God, where is he?!" Carla said. "Oh, Lord, please…"

"FRAN, GET ME IN THAT OVEN!!" Guido cried out, racing toward the back.

"wait, Francine, as soon as you launch Guido summon the Rescue Team right away! wE need them as soon as possible!"

with a worried look upon her face, Francine nodded and began to punch in the code.

"HURRY, FRANCINE! I GOT A BEST FRIEND TO FIND!!"

"wait for us!" Good Bird said, running out with Carla. "Al,we'll fly around and scope out the town!" Good Bird and Carla ran outside. "Carla, quick, we have to fly all around and try to find him! I'll take the right part, you can have the left."

"OK, Birdie."

"If you find him call the cell."

"OK, you bet." Both crows took off in opposite directions, keeping their eyes peeled on the ground, praying they'd find him…praying they'd find him alive!!

As soon as Guido was launched Francine summoned the Rescue Team, who got there right away. "what's going on so early in the morning?!" General Catton asked.

Spritz looked around. "where are the Pizza Cats, Al?!"

Al turned around sharply. "Men..that's why I called you here," Francine showed them the letters, and their eyes bugged out.

"No…OH GOD, NO!!" Spritz said.

"Speedy….committing suicide? It's just…so unlike him!" BatCat said.

"we have to find him and stop him! Guido's already gone off to find him, and I need all of you to help us out! General Catton, you scope out the town, every square. Meowsma, you go through all the tunnels..and pray you don't find…" his voice trailed. "Spritz, you go through every pond and river…search with a fine tooth comb, you understand. BatCat, take Lucielle home and help calm her down. After all, she's got to sing at the statue unveiling later on today." THe door burst open and the NY Pizza Cats came in just then.

"Al, we were passing through and heard the ruckus. what's going on, is it an emergency?"

"Afraid so," Al picked up Guido's letter and showed it to them. "we're on a mission…a vile one. To stop another Samurai death! Apparently, Speedy couldn't stand to have Polly's memory all around him anymore…and one way or another he's going to be with her again."

"Oh NO!" Dee Dee cried out.

"we gotta find Speedy! Immidiately before.."

"I knew this death was hard on him…but I never thought it would drive him to suicide!" Dee Dee said.  
Cosmo stood up. "Al, I'm willing to help!"

'As am I," Dee Dee said

"And me, too," Sundance said. "I'll check at the restaurants that are around the block. " "_Speedy," _he thought as he left. "_I know I picked on ya about your height in the part…but I hope you're alrght. If we find you alive, I promise I won't make fun of ya again." _

"I'll look on all the bridges in the parks!" Cosmo said.

"what about me?" Dee Dee asked.

"You?" Al said. "Slip in and out of the shadows. Maybe Speedy's in one of them."

"Right!"

"I'll stay here in the meantime and calm Francine down," Al said.

"OK, I'll go back to Vi in the meantime and help her with her speech." Frieda got back in her limo.

"I'll join ya in a little bit," Al said.

"The statue unveiling is at 1," Frieda reminded him. He nodded.

Francine got on the loudspeaker in the meantime. "Citizens of Little Tokyo, this is an emergency!! If anyone finds Speedy Cerviche, or knows where he might be, please tell him to come back to the Pizza Parlor _RIGHT a_way!! Please, please, please help us!! Speedy, if you hear this…PLEASE DON"T DO IT!! PLEASE COME BACK! wE LOVE YOU, wE'LL HELP YOU!! JUST COME BACK!!"

Al went to sit with her. She had her head resting on her clasped hands and was sick with worry.

"Please be OK, Speedy! Please be OK!"

Meanwhile, in another part of town Nyo Esther was on the earliest bus back from his boarding school to his parents house, his face a mixture of weariness and anger. Damn that Headmaster at his school! He had been away from home for months at boarding school, where he was in a graduate business program. These past few weeks were his midterms, and as per the school's strict instructions no outside distractions were permitted- including no phone calls or letters from home.

which explained why he had not been present at the funeral of his younger sister.

"_It was a damn family emergency_!' he thought. " _Ya couldn't have made an exception for THAT?! Especially considering what she, Speedy, and Guido DID for all of us?! I would have made up the tests!!_" Next to him his friend Scott squeesed his hand understandingly. He had offered to come along on the trip….mainly to help him get though to his parents if they got mad at him. "It's not your fault you couldn't be there.." Scott said. "Your parents have to know that."

"I think they do.." he said. "I hope they do.." he sighed and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "God..I can't believe this! I mean..I just bought a tuxedo to wear to her wedding!"

"Yeah. You told me you were glad she was marrying Speedy. No need to grill him at all!"  
"Hey, I've known him since he and my sister were…what, 8? If someone's friends hang out with your family as many time as he has ya get to know him inside out and upside down." He looked down. "Now, my little sister is dead...didn't even make it to her wedding.…and I didn't even know until now! Damn that Headmaster we got! It was a family crisis!!"

"Honestly sometimes I think that pig has no feelings!" Scott stopped to tug his whiskers. "God..this is so hard to imagine…I always thought your sister was invincible myself!"  
Nyo managed a shaky laugh. "So did she sometimes, I think. Even when we were little kittens she was always acting all tough. whenever I'd do something like tug her pigtails or grab her flute, she'd always fight back. Usually it would end with us throwing mud at each other!" Both cats laughed a bit at the memory. "God, I loved her!" Nyo said. "Hard to believe…I didn't even get to say goodbye!"

"You should be keeping in mind whose fault this was!" Scott pointed out, glaring out the window.

"Symore Cheese…that heartless, unfeeling moron!"

"Damn him," Scott agreed. "God damn him." He looked out the window and sighed. "we're almost there. Come on, lets go face the music."

Once the train stopped, both Cats jumped out and ran as fast as they could to the small house on the edge of town. Nyo was a mixture of grief, anger, and worry, and he cursed his feet for not getting him there quicker.. He and Scott made it to the door of the house and for a half a second hesitated. Scott gentily nudged him a bit. "Go on," he said quietly. Nyo took out his key and opened the door, quietly walking in. It was early enough that the sun was not yet up and most of his family were more than likely asleep. Nyo went to the fridge.

"Juice?"

"Sure," Scott said. Nyo got out 2 glasses. A noise in the doorway made them look up as Tane entered.

"Nyo!"

Nyo went over and hugged his Mother. "Hi, Mom."

"Hi, Honey."

Nyo sat dwon. "Mom..I'm really, really sorry I wasn't here for the funeral…please believe me, it wasn't my fault. I didn't know anything about it, I swear. The Headmaster has these dumb rules about no personal calls during midterm, no exceptions…in fact, I didn't find out what happened to Polly until afterwards. I knew it was too late for the funeral, I'm sorry, Mom."

Scott stood up and gave Tane a casserole he brought with him. "Mrs. Esther, we're very sorry to hear about Polly."

"Thank you, Scott. will you stay for the Statue unveiling today?

"Statue unveiling?"

"Yeah. Princess Vi commissioned a statue of your sister to be built in the center of town, and it's ready. It's going to be unveiled this afternoon."

"At least I can be here for that!" Nyo sighed. "Sayaka OK?"  
"well, she's been pretty shaken up by the whole thing. But, however, she's decided to follow in her sister's footsteps and become a Samurai, too."

"She has?"

"Yeah, she's started Samurai Training already. Guido's helping her."

"How's Speedy doing?"

"Not well, Honey. Not at all well. He bursts into tears almost all the time, and he's in pretty bad shape."

"Maybe I ought to go see him later."

"OK, dear. But first go up and say hello to your sister. She's had trouble sleeping tonight."

Nyo went upstairs and knocked on his baby sister's door. No answer. Finally he opened the door and stepped inside. Sayaka was sitting on her bed, curled up into a ball clutching her pillow tightly, glaring at him. He was in for it, he knew that already. He sat down next to her. "How're ya holding up, Little Sister?"

Sayaka shrugged. "Ya missed quite a funeral."

"So, I heard."

"So you heard? where were you, Nyo? I needed you."

"I didn't know Polly was dead! I swear. No one even told me until yesterday. It was that damn sensai of mine, he doesn't allow personal calls to interfere with midterms." He moved closer to his sister and put his arm around her. "Sis," he began. "If I knew what happened, believe me I would have dropped everything and come here right away."

Sayaka slowly stood up and went to her brother, hugging him tight. "Oh, Bro…that funeral…so many people were there..so many loved her, and she looked so peaceful….I miss her so much."

"I know..I do too," Nyo said, hugging his baby sister…now his ONLY sister. "So..you're taking Samurai Lessons now?"

"Yeah," she sat down. "I've decided that the best way I can honor Polly is to follow in her footsteps. I know I can't really replace her.."

"Not one Cat alive who can do that!"

"No, that's true. But, I wanna do my best…I wanna someday take her place beside Speedy and Guido."

"They'd be proud to have you," he hugged her again. "You look so much like her."

"But that's just it. I'm not _her! _Nyo..I don't know if I CAN be as good as she was. I'm trying my best and practicing every chance I get…but I don't know if I can really do it."  
"what are ya taking about?! Of course you can do it! You're an Esther! You got the ol Esther blood inside of ya! You can do it, Sis. Remember….remember what she used to say? You ca do anything you put your mind to! You can do it. She knew ya could..and I do too."  
"Honest?"

"Of course…and when you become a full-fledged Samurai. I'll be right there cheering ya on."  
"Thanks, Nyo. You're gonna be comin to the statue unveiling ceremony this afternoon, right?"

"Yeah. After all, I missed the funeral, so this is the least I can do."

"Good…cause I have to make a speech at it..and I'm nervous as anything."

"Oh? You're making a speech? Neat, can I hear it?"

In the distance, Speedy could see the bright white buildings of the tombs that stood above the still damp ground. It was a bit chilly in the predawn, but it was a small price to pay. Soon he would be leaving this world for good, flying through the clouds with Polly forever, weightless in s soaring blue sky! " _I can't wait_," he thought dreamily. He closed his eyes and pictured a bright white angel with Polly's face. "_I promised I'd never leave you, ever again..and I'm keeping that promise!" _

Cheese, Jerry, and the Doctor reached the tomb early with the Ninja Crows in tow, due to a shortcut that the Doctor new. They were crutched behind the closest monument to the tomb shushing each other and waiting for Speedy to come. Sure enough an all-too-familiar spot in the distance began to form. They only had to look at the way he carried his sword to know who it was! Cheese had to hold in his laughter so Speedy wouldn't know they were there- although in his current state of mind he might not know the difference anyway! Shushing up the Ninjas, they got quiet and peeked out. "Oh, I hope he can get this over with quickly. The potion is gonna wear off soon. She'll wake up!" Heroshi said.

"He will, Doctor, he will!' Cheese said. "Hara Kiri only takes a few seconds. Now, hush up! I wanna enjoy this!" Unfortunately the Ninja Crows were still chatting amongst themselves. "Hush up!" Cheese said again. Finally he picked up a stone and threw it at them "I SAID HUSH UP, YOU IDIOTS! Ya want our cover blown?! _q__uiet!!"_

Speedy reached the tomb and laid down a bouquet of flowers, kneeling down to pray.

When I was young  
I never needed anyone  
And falling in love was just for fun  
Those days are gone  
Livin' alone  
I think of all the friends I've known  
When I dial the telephone  
Nobody's home

All by myself  
Don't wanna be  
All by myself  
Anymore

Hard to be sure  
Sometimes I feel so insecure  
And loves so distant and obscure  
Remains the cure

All by myself  
Don't wanna be  
All by myself  
Anymore  
All by myself  
Don't wanna live  
All by myself  
Anymore

When I was young  
I never needed anyone  
Falling in love was just for fun  
Those days are gone

All by myself  
Don't wanna be  
All by myself  
Anymore  
All by myself  
Don't wanna live  
Oh  
Don't wanna live  
By myself, by myself  
Anymore  
By myself  
Anymore  
Oh  
All by myself  
Don't wanna live…

Speedy whispered. "Dear God, forgive me for this…please forgive me…but I can't do this..I can't live like this anymore! Please God…help me..and please take me to her Lord! Maybe I'm selfish, or not thinking of others…but I can't think at all! Please, God….please let me go!" He finally stood up and grasped his sword. "You pathetic monstar!" he cried to the tomb with tears in his eyes. "You ate up the lovliest Cat in Little Tokyo! I'm gonna force open your ugly mouth, and I'm gonna PUT MORE FOOD IN YA!!" He proceeded to pound on the heavy locked door of the tomb with his sword until he had finally succeeded in breaking it open, kicking it all the way down. Squaring his shoulders, he stepped into the tomb. Cheese, Jerry, the Doctor, and the Ninjas all cheered at that.

"I…I did it!"

"we did it!" Jerry said,

"I did it!"

"we did it!!"  
Cheese laughed out loud "Didn't I tell ya?! didn't I tell ya?!" He grinned.

"But are you sure she'll really follow suit, Cheese?"

"Oh, haven't ya ever read Shakespere? She'll wake up, at first not knowing where she is..then discover her lover dead and bleeding on her lap…she'll grow all distraught, see the katana,…and that's that! Come, Ninjas, Jerry let's away! As much as I'd love to see this, I despise the stench of blood! " He pointed to 2 of the Ninja Crows. "You and you," he took out his video camera. "I want ya to hide at the entrance to the tomb. Make sure you get the suicides live on camera! Ha,ha, we'll be back at the cave, preparing our Victory Party!! And what's a party without entertainment? So have our entertainment ready!! HA, HA, HA!!"

"For he's a jolly good felow, for he's a jolly good felow!" the Crows began singing as they all followed Cheese. Immidiately they all left except the 2 Crows, who positioned themselves behind the broken door to watch Speedy Cerviche, fearless leader of the Samurai Pizza Cats, take his own life.

Speedy slowly made his way inside as if pulled by an invisible force. He entered the dark, cold, damp burial place, the only source of tiny light coming from the twilight as the sun slowly began to come up...and shone right on Polly's body. Almost like a light from Heaven it seemed to focus on her still, yet beautiful body. There she lay, with the transparent shroud on top of her, surrounded by the now almost-dead small bouquets of flowers and gripping her flute and katana in her cold, stiff hands as though she was getting ready for the Heartbreaker. Her body looked so pure so perfect...so out of place among the rotting, decomposing corpses of her ancestors all around her. Some were by now skellitons! Speedy kept both eyes on her, making his way over to her body...tripping on a spare bone in the process. He picked himself up, picked up the bone and put it on a nearby beir. "Excuse me, Sir," he said to the rotted skelliton on the beir before he finally reached Polly's side, where he was meant to be. He stared at her, stared at her beauty. She looked almost like she was sleeping, with her peaceful face and eyelids closed so delicately. Trembling, he lifted off the shroud and removed a lot of the things on her beir before climbing over the armor that lay next to the beir, climbing up to her and sitting by her side. This was it. It was time. "Oh, Polly," he whispered to the corpse. "Polly...I'm sorry. I'm sorry it had to come to this...and I just hope you don't think I'm a coward or anything like that. I mean...this is..just so hard for me. You don't know HOW hard! Just...seeing you all over, everywhere I go! I..I just want to be with you, Polly. If that means I'm a coward, fine. let them call me one. But, without you I may as well be! I'm just a shadow without you. You're not just my girlfriend...you weren't just my fiance..you were the best friend I've ever had! I mean, we grew up together, Polly. We've known each other...forever! How can I just go on without you, when you've been such a PART of me?!"

Meanwhile the Crows were hidden near the busted entrance, aiming the camera. "Come on, come ON!!" one muttered. "How long can it take. Say goodbye, see ya soon, and DO it already!!"  
"Shh! Ya want him to hear us?!"  
"He can't hear anything but himself right now! But THAT'S not what I'm worried about. Ya heard what the doctor said! Any minute now."  
"Will ya relax?! This whole suicide ritual only takes 4 seconds. He knows what to do! All WE gotta do is watch and record."  
"Wish he'd do it already!" just then his face grew a bit pale.  
"What?"  
"Uh...do her cheeks look a little...pink to ya?"

Speedy pulled out his sword, which he had been holding rigor-mortis tight to his chest. "Polly...I hope you're waiting for me. I'm coming, Polly! It's time," he held the sword in just the right spot...just below his ribcage. One upward thrust, and it would all be over. he gripped the handle with both hands. It was so simple...just one thrust and he would see Polly again. "_Goodbye, Tokyo. Goodbye, Guido, Francine, Al, Lucielle, Wally, Vi, Uncl_e _Irving, Aunt Lydia. It was great to live with all of you...but I have to be with my love! Please remember what I asked for in my letters..and let my body stay here…let me lay with her!" _He opened his eyes and gazed into her lovely still face. "I love you, Polly," he whispered. He leaned over and gave her a final kiss on her lips...and pulled away, confused. "Huh? Wait...what?" He looked at her body. was it his imagination...or did her lips suddenly feel...warm?! Wait...how could they...she was dead! She'd been dead for two weeks! He leaned over and kissed her again...longer this time. Yeah...warm! Her lips were definitely warm! "_Wait...her lips are WARM?! How can that...there's no heating in this place! How..."_ He stared. Wait..how could be have MISSED what he saw now?! Her cheeks...they were PINK! Wait..how?! "God..I must be going crazy!" he said out loud. he put his fingers on her neck to check. Oh. My. God! There...there was a PULSE! Her blood was flowing again! Wait...what WAS going on?! How could this be happening?! He pinched himself to make sure he wasn't having another nightmare. No...he was up! He looked around. "I don't know what's going on...but I better get her out of this place before she wakes up!" he scooped her into his arms. The Crows gasped and hid as Speedy ran out of the busted tomb with Polly in his arms. The Crows peeked up from their hiding places in the bush.  
'Cheese is NOT going to like this!" one said.

Meanwhile Good Bird was flying along Tokyo, keeping his eyes peels, praying he didn't see what he feared. Suddenly he realised he was flying over the graveyard...and he made out a few figures by it. Speedy? He didn't know, he couldn't tell. He got out his cell. "Guido? Guido, I'm over the graveyard."  
"Ya see anything?"  
"I think I can see a few figures,...can't tell what they're doing. Look like crows."  
"CROWS In the graveyard? God, are they there to fight with Speedy?! Hang on, Good Bird, I'm on my way there!"

"Come on, Polly," Speedy muttered, kneeling next to the pond at Renguan Park with her in his lap, lightly splashing her face with water. "Please, Polly...please tell me I'm not crazy! Oh God, Polly, open your eyes. Oh Polly, please!" Suddenly it looked like she was starting to stir. Finally her eyelids fluttered...and she opened her eyes and looked at him! She slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes wearily.  
"S...Speedy?" she muttered. "Speedy...is that you?" Speedy stared like she was an angel from Heaven and he couldn't believe this was true. She sat up. "Speedy...what's going on?" At first he couldn't answer...then he whopped as loud as he could, grabbed Polly, and spun her around for joy, crying, yelling, and laughing the entire time.  
"Speedy?" Polly laughed a it as his antics, until he gave her the deepest, most passionate kiss he had ever given to her, running his hands up and down her back.  
"Speedy...I'm glad to see you, too," she giggled a bit. "But, what's going on? Why are you acting like that? " she looked around. "Why are we in the park...why am I in this dress?!" She immidiately recognized it as a funeral dress. "Speedy...did someone just die?!"  
"Uh...hah, hah...you could say that."  
"Oh my..why don't I remember...Speedy..who died?!"  
"Uh...you."  
She looked at him funny. "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!"  
"Yeah, Polly...you've been dead for two weeks."  
"No, I wasn't...I thought I was sleeping...wait, TWO WEEKS?! What day IS this?!"  
"The 17th."  
"But...it's the 4th!"  
Speedy took his watch and showed her the date on it. "It's the 17th."  
"Huh? But...wait...how...it was the 3rd yesterday!"  
"It was the 3rd two weeks ago."  
"But...that's impossible! How come it's ,...I don't.."  
"Cause you were DEAD, Polly...or at least, everyone thinks you were!"  
"But..I was asleep...I thought I was having really strange dreams.."  
Speedy took her shoulders. "What's the last thing you remember, Kitten?"  
"She turned around and thought "Well..I remember we were fighting Big Cheese and his stupid robot...we just finished him off with our Finishers...when all of a sudden I felt something on my tail...some pinching thing...I blacked out...next thing I know, I'm here, in this dress, in the park with you...and two weeks went by?!"  
"Cheese shot somethin at you...we thought it was a kind of poison. We took you to the hospital...and the doctors said you were dead!"  
"They WHAT?!"  
"They used all kinds of equipment, they tried to revive you...they couldn't detect a heartbeat. You had no pulse, you didn't breathe, you were stiff and cold...we couldn't feel anything. No pulse, no blood, no anything! Everyone thought you were dead!!"  
"Why that no good, disgusting rat..._what the hell did he shoot me with_?!"  
"I'd like to know that myself! We had a funeral for you and everything! We've all been in morning for two weeks! Vi just built a statue to you!"  
Polly whirled around. 'She...she did? Oh!"  
"Yeah, it's gonna be unveiled today! Made completely out of gold and dedicated to your memory!"  
"Wow...I don't know what to say! A statue...for me? Gee...no one ever did that for me before.."  
"Yeah...everyone said so many nice things at your funeral too. Oh, Kitten, we've been missing you so much!!"  
Polly threw her arms around Speedy. "I can't even begin to picture what it was like for you...thinking I was dead!"

Speedy stroked her hair gentily making his way down her back, kissing the top of her head. "I don't ever wanna have another 2 weeks like that again!" Polly returned his kisses and intimate caresses, letting him kiss her all over her face. "And everyone at the Pizza Parlor is sure gonna be glad to see you!" He kissed her again. "I love you so much, Kitten…it was torture for me, being without you…missing you so much…Polly, I never thought I'd ever be holding you again…here...I saw you everywhere…everything reminded me of you! The only thing keeping me going was visiting your tomb every day."

Polly's head snapped up. "wait, Speedy….I was in my family tomb all this time?!"

"Yeah, Polly. wE thought you were dead and had a funeral for you, you were put in the tomb…going there was my only bit of happiness!"

Polly shuddered. "ew"

"Yeah..I guess you were supposed to go mad when you woke up in the tomb and suffocate."

"But wait…that tomb is securely locked by an iron bar! How'd you get me out in time?" Speedy looked down as his sword clattered to the ground. "How'd you find out I was really alive?"

"Uh..I didn't.."

"You didn't…but why were you _in_ the tomb then? Usually people put flowers in front of the door, why did you break into……" her voice trailed off as she put 2 and 2 together and stared at him. "Speedy?" she said slowly. "You were…gonna kill yourself…to be with me?"  
Speedy looked up. "Yeah," He admitted. "Polly..if these 2 weeks told me anything…it's that..I can't live without you! I was so lonely…I felt so cut off from everything. I couldn't even deliver pizzas anymore…I couldn't even walk down the street without being reminded of you. I don't know if that makes me a coward..…but I'd rather lie here in the tomb with you than ever live without you! I don't know if you think less of me, but without you life had no meaning, and…" he was interrupted by Polly's lips pressing on his.

She pulled away with tears in her eyes. "You…love me THAT much?!"

"More than I can say.." Polly kissed him again. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing again and again.

when Polly pulled away, her eye fell on the edge of town, which could be seen from between the trees of the park. She saw the city adorned with black and purple crepe paper to signify morning…morning for her. Speedy came up and put his arms around her. Just then a sound was heard from the nearby bushes.

"what the…"Speedy said. He moved toward the bushes, dove in…and threw out the Ninja Crows…who landed at the feet of Polly!

"Uh..hee, hee, Polly….gee..you're a sight for sore eyes..oh look at the time, we gotta go.." they attempted to take off, but Polly held them back.

"NOT SO FAST!! _You both stay right there!! I _w_anna kno_ww_hat's going on here and _w_hy everyone thinks I'm dead?!" _

"Hah, like we're gonna talk!! "

Speedy grabbed the other Crow and held his sword to his throat. "we got ways, pal!" Polly unsheathed her claws. In no time at all both Crows were in a mangled heap. "Now," Speedy said again. "You both gonna talk or ya want more?!"

_"_OK, Ok, we'll talk. The truth is Polly wasn't really dead! Big Cheese injected her with a special potion invented by Dr. Heroshi that put her in such a deep coma everyone…even the doctors couldn't detect any life in her! It was scheduled to wear off today and you were supposed to suffocate in the tomb!"

_"_So that's it," Speedy said.

"why that horrid, braindead, sycopath!! That…that.. when I get my claws on him.."

Despite her outburst, Speedy couldn't help smiling. "welcome back, Polly!"

Polly squeesed his hand. "It's good to _b_e back, Pussycat!"

**Oh, come on, ya _really_ thought I was gonna kill off Polly? J Cheese is in for it now! **


	27. Cheese Goes Down

"Speedy!" Guido called out in a panic, running as fast as he could toward the tomb. "Speedy, where are you?" He had landed a few yards away from the tomb and was now running as fast as he could to the white building, cursing his feet for not getting him there faster. He had thought back to the events of yesterday. "_Maybe I should have listened more to Speedy_," he thought. _"I shouldn't have told him about the flute, I kno_w_ I shouldn't have! I should have picked up the signs, especially _w_hen he gave me the Ginzu, I kne_w_ he _w_asn't right! _w_hy didn't I pick up on that?"_ "Oh, Speedo," he said through tears. "If anything happens to you, it's all my fault!"

"Don't you start that, too," Good Bird said, landing and running to join him. "Just pray we get there in time! You had no way of knowing what he was going to do! WE all should have seen the signs. I should have seen it when he gave me that medal." They both reached the tomb…and what they saw made their heartbeats quicken. Right in front of them was the Esther tomb…with the heavy iron door broken into and laying in 2 huge pieces on the ground.

"SPEEDY!!" Guido cried out aloud. He dashed as fast as he could toward the tomb. "Oh God…I'm afraid to go in…"

Good Bird grasped his shoulder. "Let's hurry up….hopefully we can stop him in time…I hope," he said, his voice shaking.

"Please, please say we're not too late," Guido whispered tightly. He and Good Bird stepped into the tomb. They had to fight back waves of nausia as the putred stench of death surrounded them and they took in the dark, damp, cold surroundings of rotting corpses and dirty skeletons around them. They kept their eyes on the ground, hoping against hope they would NOT see what they feared to see. They raised their heads when they found nothing, "Speedy?" Guido called out. "Speedy…are you here?!"

"Uh…Guido?"  
"Yeah?"

"Polly IS buried here, isn't she?"

"You were at the funeral. You saw them do it."

Good Bird pointed to the bier where Polly lay. "THEN WHERE IS SHE NOW?!" Guido gasped when he saw the empty beir that was unmistakably Polly's, due to all her stuff being strewn all over. Guido ran over to the beir.

"Polly?" He looked all around. "where is she?"

"where'd…." Good Bird and Guido looked at each other as the same thought occurred to both of them at the same time "_Cheese!!"_

"That…that.." Guido said angrily. "That…he's not satisfied with cold-blooded killing…now he's got to break in here and take her body for a damn souvineer?! He can't just let her be?!"

"Believe me, Guido. Knowing Symoure like I do, something like this doesn't surprise me! He's that idiotic and disrespectful that he'd definitely stoop this low!"

Guido froze in his place. "Good Bird…didn't ya say you saw Speedy here?"

"I couldn't tell from up in the air. It looked like a number of guys were here." Guido leaned on the empty beir and lowered his head.

"Oh God, Good Bird…what if Speedy was here already?! what if he saw this?! God knows what he'll do…what if he wants to hurry up and do it…oh man, we gotta find him! WE gotta find him…I have no clue where to look.."

Good Bird raced outside and hunched over. "Hop on, Guido." Guido looked at him questioningly. "It's OK, I can carry you. I think it would be better than if we went in separate directions." Guido carefully climbed onto Good Bird's back, and he took off. Guido pulled down his visor so he could use his magnifier and look closer.

"Good Bird, down there," Guido pointed. "Aren't those Ninja Crows?"

"Yeah..looks like."

"Yeesh…what happened to them?! They look like a truck ran them over twice!"

"Hah, looks like Speedy got to them for what they did to Polly's body."

"well, if he didn't get an answer, I'm gonna! Hopefully we can find her body."

"Hang on, Guido, we're going down!" Good Bird carefully landed…right in front of the Crows, who were trying to crawl back to Cheese and warn him.

One Crow looked up. "No…" he whimpered. Not another Cat!"

"Yeah, another Cat!" Guido said, pulling out his sword.

"No, no, please.." the Crow with the camera wimpered.

"SHUT UP, YOU DAMN TRASH!!" Guido said angrily "You got three chances to tell me what I wanna hear," he grabbed the top of one of the Crow's heads and held his sword to his throat.

"I'm having one of those funny deja-vu feelings," the Crow said.

"SHUT UP!! what were you birdbrains doing at Polly's tomb?! what did ya do with her body?!"

"Uh…what?!"

"You suddenly go deaf?! Here's Polly?!"

The Crow weakly raised his wing in the direction of Ranguin Park. "Over there."

"I suppose we should say 'thank you'….as if any of you deserve it.." Good Bird said angrily. "Now, as long as we're asking questions…here's Speedy?!"

"with her.."

"with her?!" Guido and Good Bird looked at each other with horror on their faces."Ok, now for the million yen question…where's that coward Cheese hiding his murderous hide?! You better tell us NOW , or you're gonna get 10 times worse than what Speedy gave ya! Now TALK!!" The Crows spilled the location of the cave. Guido tossed them aside and he climbed back on Good Bird, who flew full force over the bridge to the park, fearing the worst and praying they weren't right.

Speedy was sitting upon a huge rock near the edge of the pond holding Polly in his lap, kissing her again and again, rubbing his hands up and down her arms, not knowing or even caring what time it was or even what was going on in town. All he wanted was Polly in his arms, kissing her stroking her, to never, ever, ever stop. "I love you," he whispered into her ear, stroking her hair

"I love you," she whispered back, feeling him trace the edge of her face with his finger. She gazed into his eyes as he kissed her again, finally pulling away. "Speedy….I love you…" she smelled her sleeve. "But… I wanna try to get some of this dirt and stench off me! After all, ..I've been in a tomb for 2 weeks"

"I can't smell anything on ya, Kitten."

Polly hugged him. "You're sweet, Speedy…but I can…and I'm gonna try to get it off." She gentily, yet reluctantly, slid off his lap and walked to the other side of the pond, where she rolled up her sleeves, took some sand, and began to wash her arms. Speedy looked away, toward the water, grinning from ear to ear.

Guido and Good Bird were flying over the park, spying Cosmo finishing combing one bridge. Good Bird got Carla on his cell and told her to come to Ranguin Park immediately. Now that they knew where Speedy was, they needed all the help they could get. Finally Guido's eyes lit up. "_Good Bird th_e_r_e _h_e _is!"_ They spotted Speedy sitting on the rock…but Polly wasn't there. Guido realized the important thing for right now was to talk Speedy out of jumping and get him back to the Pizza Parlor as soon as possible! Cosmo found him at the same time and was running to him as fast as he could, talking on his cell phone at the same time.

"Sundance? I found him…it looks like he's alright. So…when we get him back it'll be a good time to keep your promise." He hung up and made his way over. Good Bird got Carla on the phone, telling her to come right to Ranguin Park, they found Speedy.

Al and Francine were sitting at a table. Al was drumming his fingers on the edge of the tabletop while Francine nervously waited, with her hands clasped in front of her and her head laying upon it. "God…Speedy…please be OK…please be OK."

Al patted her shoulder. "They'll call us as soon as they find him, Francine. WE just have to wait."

"Oh God, I hope he's alright.." Francine said, near tears. "I should have been more understanding of his feelings. I shouldn't have thought all he was doing was throwing himself into his work, what the hell was I thinking?! "

"It's not your fault, Francine. You had no real way of knowing.."

"Yes, it is, Al. I should have known, I should have seen it!" She lowered her head and sobbed quietly. "You should have seen him these past few days, you wouldn't have recognized him! His face was sullen, his whiskers were drooping…and until yesterday he hasn't smiled even once!" She looked up. "It's funny…I used to yell at him, so would Polly and occasionally Guido, for cracking dumb jokes, or acting immature, or supposedly being lazy in Pizza Deliveries…now I'd give anything to have THAT Speedy back!!" She looked up to Heaven. "Please, God, please let Speedy be alright! I promise, just let him come back and things will be different. I won't be so hard on him! I won't yell or tease him anymore! Just let him come home and he can be as goofy as he wants, I promise!" Just then the phone rang. Al and Francine sat up. "_I don't know if I want it to be Guido…or Good Bird..or I don't know what I want!" _Finally Al got up to answer it.

He hung up with a look of relief and turned to Fran. "That was Carla. Guido, Good Bird, and Cosmo found Speedy. According to what they can see he's alright and they're gonna try to talk him into coming back."

"Thank God," Francine said. "Thank you, God."

"Yes, thank God." Al sighed with relief. "I better go tell Princess Vi Speedy's alright and they're bringing him back. Tell him if he doesn't want to come to the statue unveiling ceremony today, he's excused." Fran nodded as Al left.

"Speedy!!" Guido called out after he and Good Bird landed. "Speedy!" Speedy turned around from his place on the rock. "Speedy…Speedy, wait! STOP!! DON'T JUMP!! Speedy, don't DO IT!! DON'T DO IT!!" Please, don't DO THIS!!"

Cosmo appeared just then. "Speedy," he began slowly. "Speedy…ya know we're all your friends here…and we all care about you. Now, come down off the rock. Come on, Speedy…climb down off the rock! Come on…it's really not worth it. Just let us talk to you…just for a few minutes. Come on…we just wanna talk. Come down," To his surprise, Speedy quickly slid off the rock. "wow, I'm better at this than I thought!"

Guido ran to Speedy, preparing to belt him for scaring him….but he stopped himself, reminding himself that that could send him back up on the rock. Instead, as soon as he reached Speedy, he threw his arms around him in a big hug. "THANK GOD!! Thank God you're alright! Thank God you didn't go through with it!" He held Speedy at an arm's length. "Do you have ANY idea how much you scared us…how much you scared me?! I was so scared I was gonna lose my best friend in the whole world!" He took a deep breath. "Speedy…listen to me…I know Polly's death is really hard on you..but Polly wouldn't want you to go through with it."

"Don't worry, Guido.."

"Don't worry…how can I _not_ worry, Speedy! Do you have ANY idea how much you scared all of us?! wE've been going crazy looking for you!"

"Guido…"

"Listen to me, Speedy! I know you feel like it's the end of the world…but life is still worth living. So many of us care about you! So many of us are looking for you. I know I haven't been the nicest Cat…far from it, I know. But you're like another brother to me…I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you, and so many of us feel the same way! Good Bird does.."

"That's so true," he agreed. "Speedy…what Guido says is true! You've changed my life in so many ways. I never thought that I could be this happy in all my life, and it's all because of all you did for me! I can't let anything happen to you!"

"Neither can I.." Guido said. "And neither can Polly! Speedy…think of her! wHat could she say of she saw you like this?! Speedo…you know this isn't what she would want you to do! wHy do you think she fell in love with you in the first place? Cause she knew you never give up! You've been known to move mountains, go through streams, take down whatever obstacles in your way! Polly knew you never quit, and she wouldn't want ya to do it now!" Unknown to either Guido or Good Bird, Cosmo saw something in the distance that made his face go pale.

"Uh…Guido.."

"Not now, Cosmo. Please, Speedy, think of Polly…it would break her heart to see you like this. This isn't what she would want.." Polly by now had walked slowly up to the back of Guido and Good Bird. She tapped Guido's shoulder.

"Hi, Guido."

He quickly turned around. "Hi, Pol," he turned back toward Speedy. "But, honestly, Speedy, she wouldn't want…" suddenly he stopped and slowly turned toward Polly. "P…P…POLLY?! But…how…wha.." Good Bird stood in stunned silence.

"I was trying to tell ya, Guido..she's NOT dead! It was all a filthy dirty trick by Big Cheese!"

"Birdie! Did ya find him, is…" Carla's voice suddenly trailed off at the sight of Polly. "AGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH!!" she screamed, backing up and trying to hide behind the rock. "AAAAAAAAAA!!"

"wait, Carla, Carla!" Polly said, running to her and taking her hands. "I'm not a ghost! Look," she lightly tapped Carla's hand. "Can a ghost touch you?" She took a handful of the water from the pond and drank it down. "Look…didn't go through me! Can that happen with a ghost?"

Carla's eyes grew wide. "Polly?! Polly…is that you?! But..you're.."

"Dead? No, Carla, I'm alive. See, I'll prove it," she took Carla's hand and held it to her heart. "See? Feel this!" Carla felt Polly's heartbeat and smiled from ear to ear.

"POLLY! Polly, you're alive! You _are_ alive!! She's alive!! It's a miracle!" Carla stood up and threw her arms around Poly in a big hug.

"Polly?! You…"Guido put his hands on her full and real shoulders. "Oh my…wha…how…but.."

"well, geez, Guido, ya gonna stand there or ya gonna give me a hug?" Finally he crushed her in a huge hug.

"Uh…excuse me…..can I ask a rather stupid question…uh..what's going on here?!" Cosmo asked.

"well, if you'll only allow me to explain," Speedy began. "Turns out, Polly wasn't really dead! That stuff Cheese shot her with wasn't poison at all, it was a potion that put her in a deep coma for these past 2 weeks."

"_what?!" _Good Bird asked angrily. "That rancid, no good…I wouldn't have believed that if I didn't just hear it!"

"Yeah, and she was supposed to wake up in the tomb today and suffocate."

"It's kinda good that you _were_ there after all," Guido said.

"Kinda good for both of us," Speedy said. "If she hadn't have woken up in time…"

"we saved each other," Polly said quietly, looking at Speedy. Speedy with a small moan grabbed Polly and held her close.

"Kitten," he whispered into her hair.

"THIS time that Cheddar-head's gone TOO FAR!!" Guido said. "Did he know what he almost did?!"

"Oh, he knows, Guido, believe me, he knows!" Good Bird said. "And he's in his little cave throwing a Victory Party no doubt!"

"Oh? well then let's US go ruin HIS little Parade!"

"Yeah, I'm with ya, Speedy!" Polly said. "I owe that rat BIG for everything he tried to do!"

Speedy looked at her concerned. "You up for it, Polly?"

"You bet I am!!"

"well, we gotta go back to the tomb and get your armor and weapons..we put them in the tomb with ya. Do ya feel OK?"

"I feel great…well..one thing.." she touched her stomach. "Is breakfast ready?"

"Come on, Guys! Carla and I can take you all back to the Pizza Parlor!" They crutched down and Guido climbed on Good Bird. Speedy looked at Polly as an unspoken sentiment passed between them and he took her hand.

"Nah, you go on ahead Good Bird, Carla, Guido. Polly and I are gonna walk back to the Parlor. WE got a lot of lost time to make up for."

Francine sat down, praying and praying. She didn't leave her place at the table since Al left. "Please be alright, Speedy, please…" The door opened just then and Good Bird, Guido, and the NY Pizza Cats all came in. Fran's head snapped up. "Guys?" she looked around "where's Speedy?"

"He's comin, Fran. He'll be right in, he's fine."

"How do you know?! who's with him?!"

"Fran, he's alright! He's on his way here. He's fine!"

"Fine?! By himself and suicidal? How can he be fine?!" she ran to Guido. "How could you leave him alone in the state he's in?! Do you realise he could just run back to the nearest river and throw himself into it?!"

"Fran, Speedy's on his way here! He's fine!!"

"But…you left him alone out there!!"

"He's not alone, Fran, trust me."

Fran paced worriedly around the room. But before she could protest again, the door opened…and Speedy entered…looking a lot like the Speedy she remembered. His gaze was clear, lucid. His eyes lost the damp, glassy unfocused look. Instinctively Fran knew THIS was Speedy, the real Speedy! Not the hollow shell of him that had been wandering the town these past 2 weeks. She wanted to belt him, like she Polly and Guido did after he came back from seeing Guru Lou without telling them after Bad Bird got the Armor of Vork. But instead she threw her arms around him. "Thank GOD you're alright, Speedy!! Thank God!" She pulled away with tears in her eyes. "Oh, Speedy, I'm just so glad you didn't….you know…oh, it doesn't matter, I'm so glad you're here, and you're alright, and you're safe..and I promise, I won't yell at you anymore. You can be as goofy as you want, you can joke around all you want to, but please, please don't even think about doing anything like this again…cause we all care about you, we do! Speedy, I'm so glad you didn't go through with it..and I know Polly is too, angel that she is now! I know Polly is….is…" her face grew pale as Polly slowly came into view right behind Speedy. Fran just stood and stared at what she saw. Finally…BOOM…Francine fainted dead away. Immidiately everyone crowded around her to try to get her up. Polly got a wet paper towel from Cosmo and gentily patted Fran's forehead with it to get her up. Finally Fran opened her eyes and stared at Polly right above her. "P…P…Polly? POLLY!" She sat up. "Polly?! But…I can't believe…I mean…I must be dreaming…is it really you?! But..how..you're.."

"I'm not dead, Francine."

"But..you are..you have to be, we put you in your family tomb two weeks ago! WE had a funeral for you right in the center of town, everyone was there! Lucielle wrote you a poem, Speedy sang to you, we've been in morning for two weeks, Vi even built you a gold statue!"

"what can I say, Francine, thanks!"

"But…how…"

"She was never dead, Francine! That stuff Cheese shot her with, it wasn't poison, it was some sleeping stuff. This whole thing was a sick joke Cheese was playing to make us bury her alive!"

"Oh my God…Polly, are you alright?"

"I will be as soon as I can have something to eat. I'm starving!"

Francine threw her arms around Polly. "Polly will you ever forgive me?!"

Polly stared at her. "Forgive you? For what?"

"For that terrible fight we had before…you know…that fight we had hen you wanted to make a very special dinner for Speedy, and I just got in the way and we drove each other crazy? Oh Polly, I am just so sorry.."

For a moment Polly thought about what Francine said. Finally she remembered. "Oh, that," she waved her hand. "It's OK, Fran. I've forgotten it. I know ya don't fight often, and we were both stressed and nervous. I forgive ya, Fran. It's OK." She gave Fran a huge hug.

Speedy lead her to her seat as Francine heated up pancakes. Polly made short work of them, licking her lips with joy. Filled with happinss Francine put Polly's armor happily back into her chute.

Meanwhile in another part of town a Mother Horse was wrapping up her newborn baby girl in a bright pink blanket. Her relatives and friends began to file into the room. They proceeded to gaze happily upon the child and say coo to her. "So, you alright, Honey?" Her husband asked. "You feeling well enough to go?"

"Of course! I have to go today!" she gathered her child up.

"Oh, before I forget, I spoke to the minister and he says we can have the baby baptized tomorrow!"

"That's wonderful!"

"So, what name did you give her?" her sister asked.

"what about Sango after our mother?" Her brother broke in.'

"I thought maybe Mimi, that's our Grandmother," her niece said.

"what about Rioko?" Her sister suggested. But the Mother shook her head.

"Polly. It has to be Polly."

"Polly?"

"Polly. After our fallen heroine, God rest her soul. This way her name will be always remembered in our home, and despite Cheese taking her down in cold blood, she will not have died in vein."

"So, that's what she was registered?"  
"Yes." The baby started fussing. "There there, Polly."

In another part of town a squirrel was just finishing giving birth to her own firstborn. "Ok, you're almost done. Just one more push and your baby's here!"

"You can do it sweetheart," her husband said, holding her hand tight. His wife took a deep breath and pushed…and soon a baby cry filled the home. Her husband gazed with awe as his eyes filled with tears.

"You have a beautiful baby girl!" the doctor announced. The squirrel cried and laughed as her baby was put into her hands.

She held her new girl as a name escaped her lips. "Polly," she gasped, holding her close, "Oh, Polly."

"Polly," her husband said. "That's perfect."

"So, you'll be registering her as Polly?"

"Yes. Polly Esther Yamamoto." 

Once the cats had finished eating and waited awhile (Speedy holding Polly's hand the entire time) They gave a signal they were ready and raced into the chutes to suit up. Francine punched in the code and got on the loudspeaker. "Citizens of Little Tokyo, good news I send! The Pizza Cats are back together again! It may not make sense but you will soon see as I now shoot not two Cats, but three! Back from the grave and ready to fight, 3 brave cats go with all your might!!" With a huge smile on her face she launched Speedy...then Polly...then Guido. Good Bird flew up to join them.

Everyone was up and on the town on this sunny morning, preparing for the statue unveiling for their thought-fallen heroine, and soon the Mama Bulldog and her young son heard Francine's announcement and saw the all-too-familiar sight of the Cats taking off.  
"Mama, why did Francine shoot three shots from the gun? Aren't there only two cats left now?"  
"Today's the day they unveil Polly's Statue, maybe she fired that in a tribute to her. A gun salute to her memory."  
"Oh. Poor Francine."

As the Cats flew high above they caught the eyes of the citizens below...who gasped with surprise and a bit of fright as they saw not three shaped fighters in the sky...but FOUR! One looking surprizingly like Polly!  
"Oh my God, why are there 4 up there? There should only be 3!"  
"That looks like Polly up there...but it can't be her..."  
A pig looked through her binoculars. 'It IS Her!! But...how.."  
"It's her ghost!!"  
"It's the spirit of Polly Esther! She's come back to watch over us!"  
"She's watching over her team!!" Several people screamed and ran into their homes, or under trees. Others knelt down and crossed themselves.  
"Why are you afraid? She's a ghost! She can't hurt us...you know she wouldn't anyway! She's watching over the team!"  
"Wow...what a cat! Coming back from the dead just to watch over her team and take care of them!! POLLY, WE LOVE YOU!!"  
"GOD BLESS YOU, POLLY!" several more citizens knelt down on the ground as she flew by, others made the Sign of the Cross.  
"WE HAVN'T FORGOTTEN YOU, POLLY!! FLY ON, OH SPIRIT, FLY ON, AND LORD BLESS YOU!!"

Meanwhile a group of singers were near the edge of town rehursing Polly's favorite song, 'The Rainbow Connection', to be sung at the statue unveiling. "OK, girls, let's go over it one more time. One, and, two, and…"

The girls took a deep breath and started singing.

"_w__hy are there so many_

_Songs about rainbows.." _

Suddenly one of the girls stopped in mid-song and stared at the sky with her mouth hanging open. The conductor stopped and stared.

"Mimi, what is it?"  
"I saw an angel!"

"An angel?"  
"where?' Ji Min asked.

Mimi pointed. "Up there! It looks like Polly!"

"Polly?' Ji Min looked up. "Oh my God, I see it too! She's up there! with Speedy and Guido…but she's dead!"

"She's an angel! She's watching over Tokyo!"

"She really IS an angel!"  
"Then shouldn't she have wings?"

"Or a halo?"  
"Angels don't need wings, those are just in paintings!"

"Girls. Let's sing louder! Maybe she'll hear us!"

"Listen, Polly! Its all for you!"

Polly looked down questioningly as the flattering praises and words of her favorite song came to her ears, not knowing what to say or how to react.

"Uh…thank you!" she called out, waving her hands.

'She spoke to us! She can hear us!! Oh, Polly, we love you!"

"I..I love you all, too!"

"Thank you, Polly, for protecting us from the Great Beyond!"

"what's it like in Heaven, Polly? Did they make you an angel?"  
Polly was beginning to get embarrassed by all the attention. "Uh..should we go down and tell them the truth?"

"Not now, there's no time," Guido said.

Speedy reached over and took her hand. "Don't worry, Kitten. As soon as we turn Cheese into a coat rack we can tell the entire town!" He grinned at her. "But I should warn ya. Once we get back home I am NOT letting you out of my sight again until we're married!" He kissed her hand. "I love you, Kitten."

"I love you, too."

Meanwhile Cheese, the Doctor, Jerry, and the Ninjas were busy setting up for their Victory Party. Some Ninjas were hanging up some decorations they had stolen as soon as they had left the tomb. "Make sure all the decorations are all spread out so we can see them all! Oh, Jerry, is this not a glorious day?!"

"Sure is, Cheese. In fact, I'd say that today is surely a miracle day! Today, your plan actually worked."

"Ah, Jerry, I'm so happy I'm gonna ignore that remark! Now, it's time! why wait, we'll start our party right now! Break out the bubbly!" Jerry reached over for the champagne on the table and the fluted glasses next to it. Filling them up, he passed them around. "Now, how about a few toasts to start this wonderful day!"

Heroshi raised his glass. "All praise to the leaves on the Prisoners Island trees, and to the waves of the ocean for giving me the main ingredients for the potion! Praise also to the trees that formed the rafts that allowed us to float up and away from the island!"

"Yes…_and praise me, too_!!" Cheese called. At this all the Ninjas Crows and Heroshi knelt down and raised their arms in the air. "The future Emperior of Little Tokyo!"

"Hail, Emperor Seymore!!" the Crows said. "Praise Emperor Seymore!!"

"You?" Jerry asked.

"For getting the idea in the first place!" He raised his glass in the air. "To my brand new position as Emperior of Little Tokyo! It's gonna be wonderful, and the best part is, two of the most dangerous Samurais are gone!!" He lifted his glass again. "To the memory of Speedy Cerviche and Polly Esther, may they be swiftly remembered….and quickly forgotten! A curse on their bodies, their families, and all who've ever known them!"

"Hear, hear!" the Crows said, staring to drink.

"HO, HA,HA!!" Jerry said. "Little Tokyo didn't know it but we did them all a _huge_ favor!!" They all laughed. Just then the two Ninja Crows beaten up by Polly and Speedy rushed into the cave too groggy to speak.

"what happened to you two?"  
"S…S..Symore…th…th.."

"well, can't you talk?! what's going on, why are ya acting like your throats were just cut?! where's the party food, you said you were going to steal some food for our party?!" Cheese then noticed the camera. "Ah, you got our entertainment!" He held it up. "_This makes it official!_!" They all cheered.

"Ah, Symore, this a fabulous day!" Jerry said. "And to celebrate your future reign the Crows have prepared a floor show in your honor! Hit it, Boys!" The Crows immediately started to launch into a song and dance.

"_One singular sensation, every little step he takes  
One thrilling combination, every move that he makes  
One smile and suddenly nobody else will do  
You know you'll never be lonely with you-know-who_

One moment in his presence and you can forget the rest  
For the guy is second best to none, son  
Oooh! Sigh! Give him your attention  
Do I really have to mention he's the one 

_He walks into a room and you know he's  
Uncommonly rare, very unique  
Peripatetic, poetic and chic  
He walks into a room and you know from him  
Maddening poise, effortless whirl  
(One thrilling combination, every move that he makes  
He's a special guy)  
Strolling_

Can't help all of his qualities extolling  
Loaded with charisma is ma  
Jauntily, sauntering, ambling, shambler  
One, and you know you must  
Shuffle along, join the parade  
He's the quintessence of making the grade  
This is whatcha call trav'ling!

Oh strut your stuff!  
Can't get enough!  
Ooh! Sigh! Give him your attention  
Do I really have to mention  
He's the one!"

when they had finished Cheese, Jerry, and Heroshi all clapped eagerly….and were suddenly joined by a clap that was all-too-familiar to all of them. "wonderful performance, Symoure, you'll forgive me for crashing the party. "

"Don't believe you were invited!"

Good Bird than entered the cave. "Hope ya didn't mind, I invited myself!"

Cheese narrowed his eyes. "You….you…..you traitor! You Benedict Arnold! So, you finally decided to crawl back to us like the coward you really are!! You think, after all you've done to us you're gonna be accepted here just like that?!"

"Think again, Dumbell! I wouldn't go back to ya if ya paid me!! I'm done with you, and your lackeys, and your insane plans forever!"

"How could ya do this to us Bad Bird.."

"It's GOOD BIRD now you nutcase, and it's forever gonna be Good Bird!"

"I was good to you! I gave you everything! My affection, my time…I used my position as Prime Minister to promote you to Captain of the Ninja Crows when your father died..you didn't even have to try out or anything like that! I trusted you, we all trusted you!! And at the end when we needed you, you turned against us!! You deserter!! You backstabber! How can you betray us like this?! You're NOTHING!!"

Jerry broke in. "I took you under my wing when your father died. You were the son I never had! And you threw it back in my face!!"

"It was meant to be thrown back!! You never gave me anything, either one of you!! All you two ever gave to me was hate, cruelty, and death!! You never gave me anything that mattered, nothing at all!!"

"what kind of talk is that from Super Bad Bird's son?"

"My father was wrong, my grandfather was wrong..and YOU were wrong! Here, on the side of good I've been given something that actually matters."

"what, wimpiness? Desertion? Cowardice?!"

"Friendship, ya dumbell!! Friendship, loyalty, love!! That's what I've been given…and those are worth _ten times _more than ANYTHING you've ever given to me!! ANYTHING!! You wouldn't know any of that if it bit you in the bottom. For the first time I know what true happiness is…and I won't ever go back!"

Cheese rubbed his eyes. "Jerry, this is getting me all chocked up...got a tissue? All right, ya talked long enough. In case ya haven't noticed, we got ya outnumbered! Ninjas…SICK HIM!!" Immidiately the Crows started to attack their former Leader….and with Good Bird's training as a Ninja Crow, all ended up in a heap! "HAH, you think you're so great, don't ya? WEll , we got a whole lot more where they came from! There's over 60 of us, and only one of you!"

"Correction, Gouda Breath," a familiar southern voice came from the top of the cave. "60 against 2! You tried to break up the Pizza Cats, so I'm gonna squish you flatter than a mat! I'm Guido Anchovy!" Guido then appeared from under his umbrella.

"Hah, I'm not impressed! Ninjas, grab our secret weapon!" The Crows grabbed a few things and ran toward Guido. Some Ninjas held up a huge mirror to Guido.

"Look, oh Handsome!! Don't ya look nice?! Come on, ya know ya wanna look at it!! Come on, ya know ya wanna!! Oh, I think a hair is out of place!"

A few others held up a poster of a shapely female Cat in a tiny weeny bakini. "Look, ain't she sexy? Look at this babe! Don't she look so gorgeous? Come on, check her out! Look at her body!!" Guido gave an exaggerated yawn.

"Nice try, guys, but that don't work anymore! I'm a different Cat then who you knew before. There's only one girl that holds my heart now, and her name's Lucielle! As of now, I'm a changed Cat…and you're about to see how much I've changed, ya jerks!"

"Yeah, sure! I'll believe THAT when I see it! Big deal, so it's 2 against 60! Ninjas, GO!" Just then a familiar melody of flute music filled the air. The Ninjas all froze as they heard the notes.

"Uh…boss…."

"Oh, what is it?!"

"Can't ya hear that?!"

"She's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!" The Crows began to scatter in fright.  
"Oh, what's the matter with ya all you little kids?! She's dead, remember?! She stabbed herself by now!!"

"But, Boss," the Crow holding the camera said.

"Pipe down!! That's just her ghost, ya idiots, and we all know ghosts are mists! She's trying to scare all of you!"

"News, flash, Boss, it's working!!"

"She's dead! Ya got it? She's dead! She's a mist, she can't hurt ya anymore!!" But just then a high pitched feminine voice came.

"Oh yeah?! _This is ho_w_ dead I am!!" _

"Doctor, your potion!! Quick, give it to us!!"

A heart shaped shrunkin came flying through the air…and right into the bottle of the Doctor's potion he was holding to give to Cheese, where it smashed and proceeded to splatter all over the ground.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! MY POTION!!" The Doctor cried, sinking to his knees.

"Uh..boss…"

"No…no..she's a ghost..she HAS to be!!" Just then a none-to-welcome form came into the light.

Polly stared menacingly. "Boo."

"Uh…but…how..you.."

"we _tried_ to tell ya, Boss! She didn't stab herself!"

"Oh, Big Deal so she didn't kill herself yet, that's just temporarily! She's here to get revenge for her fallen lover…how long can _she_ go on without _him_?!"

But another voice came from the right. "well, luckily she'll never have to know!" Slowly they turned as Speedy came forward.

"No…no..but..you're dead…how puzzling!"

"I thought you said this was gonna be like Romeo and Juliet, Cheese!"

"It IS like Romeo and Juliet, but the ending is gonna be different! I marry my Juliet …and YOU go down!"

"HAH, that's what you think! Ninjas…GO, SICK em!" Cheese cried out. The Ninjas got into position as the Cats jumped down and Good Bird already began to go. Cheese grabbed Jerry.

"Jerry! Lets use this!!" He opened the door of the robot and threw Jerry in. "where's the damn key?!"

"But..but, Cheesy, this just got finished, it hasn't even been tested yet!"

"It's gonna be!! Hurry up and warm this up!!"

"No, no…my potion, my life's work!!" Heroshi cried. The weasel dropped to his knees as the thick green liquid seeped into the sand on the floor of the cave. "No…no,. don't DO this!!" He panted hysterically. He tried cupping his hands into the sand and dirt to try to catch the sticky liquid…but the ground absorbed it. Despirately he tried scooping up the now green, clumpy sand and putting it in the broken bottle. "Oh…my invention, my efforts, my research..all for not!! FOR NOT!!" He started to cry. He Didn't even see the red colored boot belonging to an outranged young Cat come right at him.

"_Heroshi!!" _Polly yelled as her boot connected with his head and sent him flying backward. "_That's for _w_hat you did to me!_!" She took her sword and swished it across his shoulder blades. "_This is for _w_hat you tried to do to Speedy!!_" She knocked over several Bunsen burners, slashed through some flasks, kicked down shelves, smashed all she could find. "_This is for _w_hat you did to my family…this is for _w_hat you did to Speedy's family!! This is for _w_hat you did to our friends, and to the Pizza Parlor, and to Al, and to ALL OF TOKYO!!" _By the time she was finished, the entire lab was nothing more than hundreds of tiny pieces of shattered glass and a mad scientist cowering in the corner. Polly slowly aimed her sword at his throat. "Give me a reason not to run you through," she said in a murderously calm voice.

"But…but, you're a Samurai! You're not allowed to kill someone unarmed!" He pointed out,.

"True…but you DID play a BIG part in almost causing my death and Speedy's…so I CAN do this!"

"Heroshi!!" Cheese called out from the robot. "Don't sit there, idiot!! Get up here, quick!!" It was all Heroshi could do to drag himself to the robot, brused and bloody as he was. Finally Jerry reached down and pulled him in.

"Cheese…Cheese…my potion.." Heroshi gasped. "She broke my potion!!"

"Oh hush, once you get your own hospital you can make a lot more!"

"But I need leaves from the trees at Prisoner Island to make it!!"

"we'll swing back there after I've taken over the Palace!! Now, let's get OUT of here!! WE got a Palace to attack with this!" Guido was using his umbrella as a club and knocking out Crows left and right. Good Bird was striking them down one by one, his own training as a Ninja Crow himself making it easy for him. Speedy was mowing down 4 at a time. Polly ran over to join them, causing the remaining Crows to shriek in fright and run helter skelter….but the Cats and Good Bird found all of them! "Jerry take off…take OFF already! WE can take over the Palace from in here!"

"I'm trying, Symoure! I'm TRYING!!" He jostled the buttons and switches. "It's still gotta warm up!"

"GET THIS THING OFF THE GROUND!!" Cheese screamed.

"My potion…my potion…my invention….my life's work..all gone..all gone.."

Aw, SHUT UP about your stupid potion, lot of help that was in the long run!!"

I TOLD you about the side effects! 2 weeks, I said 2 weeks!"

"I heard you say 2 weeks! Jerry, HURRY IT UP!!"

Jerry finally noticed the lights blinking in the control panel. "Ah, good news, Cheesy! WE're ready!"

"FINALLY! Ok, stand by for countdown! 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 super seconds,"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah.."

"4 marvelous seconds."

"Hurry, hurry.." But that that moment the last of the Crows that surrounded Speedy and Polly were knocked out and they both turned toward the robot as Guido and Good Bird took out the rest of the Crows surrounding _them_.

"CHEESE!!" Speedy cried out in anger as he dashed to the front of the smoking robot. "You think you can just fly out of here like the damn coward you are after what you did to my Kitten?!"

Polly stood in front of Speedy. "This is between them and me, Speedy!"

Speedy took Polly's shoulder. "This affected BOTH of us, Polly…let's give him a double-whammy!" Polly looked in his eyes and slowly smiled, knowing what he had in mind. Speedy took out his sword. "Ready?"

Polly crotched down. "Ready!"

"Three seconds.."

"Hurry, Symoure," Jerry said looking out the huge window at Speedy and Polly.

Too late.

Speedy raised his sword as Polly crutched down. Pink energy surrounded Speedy's sword and Polly's body.

2.…2 terrific seconds.."

"Faster!" The pink energy gathered into Speedy's shealth, unleashing the Ginzu Guido gave back to him. Polly's energy gathered into her katana, which she pulled out at the exact same time Speedy pulled out the Ginzu. Polly pulled out her flute, and simultaneously crossed the flute and katana in front of her the same moment Speedy crossed his swords.

The Doctor watched this from the window. "Amazing…this is like looking into a mirror!"

"will you forget that and get away from the window so we can do this!! 1..one wonderful second.." he pulled a switch. "BLAST OFF!!"

Unfortunately for him, the very moment he did that, Speedy formed his Cat's Eye Slash and Polly formed the Heartbreaker…and aimed them right at him, the combined attacks blasting the robot to pieces and sending Cheese, Jerry, and the Doctor flying right out of the cave! "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Speedy twirled his swords happily. "Time to do our pose, guys!" Guido and Polly took their places.

"TAH- DAH!" Speedy gazed at Polly with happiness, now that she was right back where she belonged! She turned back to him and smiled back. Next thing either of them knew, they were in each other's arms in a passionate embrace. Speedy pulled away and gazed at her, looking at this lovely face and piercing blue eyes he never thought he'd ever see again. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a lovely gold heart shaped pin he had meant to give her as a wedding present…and when he had tried to take his life he had it in his pocket. He knew Polly's one weakness was jewelery…particularly gold jewels with stones in it. The pin was gold, heart-shaped, and set with her birthstone around it. The initials P, E, and C were intertwined right in the middle. Polly gazed at the beautiful pin, and her eyes filled with tears of joy.

"I was gonna give this to ya for a wedding present…but I think today is just as special." He put the pin on her and embraced her again, kissing the back of her neck.

"It's so beautiful!" Polly said, throwing her arms around him tightly.

Guido and Good Bird watched this touching scene with happy smiles. Guido glanced around. "we better start rounding up these Crows while they're still out of it."

"Yeah, and judging by the blasts Speedy and Polly gave Cheese, Jerry, and the Doctor, they're somewhere in public by now. The guards will find them in no time!" But neither Speedy or Polly were listening, because they were lost in a kiss so full of love the entire cave was filled with it's sweetness.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Cheese, Jerry, and Heroshi flew threw the air covered in dirt and soot.

"LOOK OUT, BELOW!!" Jerry called out as they finally came to and landed…facedown…on the pavement…right in front of the Palace! Vi immediately came out of the massive gold doors.

"WHat's going on out here, what's all that noise…" she stopped short as she took in the sight of what lay before her. Cheese, Jerry, and Dr. Heroshi were laying facedown, covered in dirt and soot…all alone and unarmed. Her eyes narrowed at this as Jerry slowly lifted his head. **"YOU!!"**

"Uh oh," Jerry muttered, nudging Cheese.

Cheese lifted his head heavily. "Uh…oh..where am I?"

"Let us be anywhere but here, Cheesy!" Cheese and the Doctor raised their heads and gasped as Vi reached for her naganata.

"KILLER!! KILLER!! COLD-BLOODED MURDERERS!! MURDERS, KILLERS!! LIEING, CHEATING, HEARTLESS KILLERS!! GET BACK HERE, NOW!" Vi chased Cheese, Jerry, and Heroshi. They began to race all through the courtyard and through the streets with Vi close behind, swinging her weapon. "WHERE DO YA WANT IT, HUH? IN THE ARMS, LEGS, TAILS, HAIR?! GET BACK HERE YOU CREEPS, YOU MURDERS, YOU KILLERS!!"

"But, Princess.."

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT, YOU HEARTLSS BASTARD! YOU KILLER!"

"But your Highness, you're making a mistake!"

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT, YOU! GUARDS, GUARDS, GET HIM!" Vi's guards came out of the Palace, and noticing who she was chasing immediately took their own swords and gave chase. Freida also came out.

"Violet, what.."

"They're trying to make a break for it, Mama!"

"But you got it all wrong!"

'SILENCE!!"

Frieda grabbed her bazooka. "Vi, you go back in the Palace, we'll handle this!" She took aim. "SYMOURE!!" she yelled and fired just ahead of them. Heroshi couldn't stop himself when he saw the hole and fell in, but Cheese and Jerry managed to stop…only to turn around and find themselves face to face with hundreds of Vi's soldiers pointing swords at them. Having no choice they put their hands up as Frieda came through the group. "Fetch him out of that hole! Symoure Cheese, Jerry Atric, and Hideko Heroshi, I Frieda, Empress of Little Tokyo, do hereby place you under arrest for the murder of Polly Pururan Esther."

"But, your Highness, listen to me, there's been a mistake.."

"Yeah…YOU CAME BACK! BIND ALL OF THEM IN CHAINS AND TAKE THEM TO THE DUNGON UNTIL I TELL YOU WHEN."

"But, this IS a mistake, she's not really dead!"

"ENOUGH YOU LIAR! WHAT DO YA THINK WE ARE, STUPID?! OR BLIND?! HER BODY'S IN THE TOMB AND YOU PUT HER THERE!"

"BUT YOUR MAJSTY…"

"You have the right to remain silent.."

"I choose to wave that right. AAAAAAAUUUUGHHHH!!" Before Jerry could react, he was once again covered in soot.


	28. Welcome Back!

The songs are: 'Lead Me, Guide Me', 'Faith of Our Fathers', 'One Sweet Day' and 'The Rainbow Connection'

Speedy and Polly were walking hand in hand through the town, heading back to the Pizza Parlor. Guido and Good Bird had volunteered to clean up the unconscious Ninjas and send them back to the Palace so Speedy and Polly could have time to themselves. They stopped at the nearest gift shop where Speedy squeesed Polly's hand. "wait here, Kitten, I'll be right out." He dashed into the shop for a moment, while Polly glanced around her. Strange…this town was usually full to bursting at a time like this. Now, it looked like a ghost town almost! where was everybody?! Speedy raced back out, carrying something. "Hold out your paw, Kitten." when Polly did so, Speedy gentily placed something in her open palms- a Garfield crystal figurine! It was only about 2 inches high, but the sun captured it and made rainbows on the sidewalk.

"Speedy, it's beautiful!"

"It's just a little 'welcome back from the dead' present."

Polly threw her arms around Speedy. She knew how Speedy really felt about Garfield, so for him to do this for her was even more proof of his love. "I love you, Pussycat," she whispered into his ear.

"I love you, too," Speedy answered, pulling her into a deep kiss. They fell back against the wall, kissing again and again. Speedy stared at her, gazed into the gorgeous blue eyes that he never thought he'd ever see again. He pulled her close, stroking her soft cheek. "what do you say we play hokey tomorrow and head for the beach…just the 2 of us?" he nuzzled Polly's nose.

Polly giggled. "Speedy, you know very well Francine would never go for that!"

Speedy kissed the back of Polly's neck. "Gee, ya'd think that after what the both of us went through she'd be more understanding! Just one day…"

"with you, it's never 'just one day', you're such a goofball.." she gazed lovingly at him. "And you're ALL mine…and I want you and ONLY you!"

"And you're far too serious and throw yourself into your work…but that's why I love you with ALL my heart and soul!" They kissed more passionately than ever. "will you still marry me?"

"As soon as possible!" when they finally pulled away after their next kiss, Polly noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She gentily pulled away and walked over to what she saw on the ground. It was the small shrine of flowers that had been set up where she had fallen during the battle with Cheese. She picked up the small plaque that rested on top of the flowers.

IN MEMORIUM

POLLY ESTHER

was carved into it along with two dates. The first date she knew very well- it was her own birthday. The date next to it was the third of the month- the last date she could remember. She shuddered a bit as she looked at this marker of death- her own death. She then picked up a few of the letters that were tucked into some bouquets. 'we Love You, Polly.' 'Rest In Peace'. 'we will Never Forget You'. 'You will Always Be In Our Hearts.' Speedy came forward and put his arm around her, gentily taking the notes out of her hands and putting them back on the flowers. "we should go to the center of town," Speedy said, "They're gonna unveil the statue in your honor."

The town square was filled with people all crowded into it, just about as many people as there were at her funeral. The stage was once again filled with flowers, but this time there was only one picture of Polly, this one in her fish kimono. An ivory platform had been set up to the left, covered in a life-size bright red tarp. A huge grand piano sat to the right of the stage. Lucielle sat on a chair next to it, sorting through her song sheets. wally was sitting next to her, just in case. Three Gold Thrones were set up next to the picture, where the Royal Family would sit. The Esther family was sitting in the front row, same as they were two weeks ago, but this time Nyo and Scott were there. Nyo was looking all around at the crowded area, practially all of Tokyo was there…all to pay tribute to his little sister. Scott looked at him sympathetically. "Your sister DID say Polly's funeral was a big turnout."

"I know," he said. He sighed. "It's so hard to believe, ya know? I mean…seems like only yesterday we were both Kittens, playing in the sandbox…and I'd purposely tug at her ponytail…just to get at her.."

"Yeah," Scott said knowingly.

"Then she'd get so mad she'd throw mud at me…" they both laughed. "God, I loved her!"

"Yeah, so did everyone here!" Scott said.

They were instantly quiet as Al boarded the stage. with a trumpet fanfare the royal family boarded the stage and moved toward the golden thrones. "Ladies and Gentileman," he began. "Please rise for their Royal Majesties: Emperior Fred, Emperess Frieda, and Princess Violet. The crowd applauded as one by one they made their way to the throne. Vi then came forward.

"Citizens of Little Tokyo," Vi began, "thank you all for coming today. As we prepare to unveil this token of rememberence, let us not face this day with sorrow or tears, but with encouragement and strength. Let all who look at this statue remember our fallen heroine, Polly Esther, and remember her great love for this land and all who live now in it. May we all who gaze upon this statue be influenced to take a chance, to live their dreams, to take her as an example to live their own lives the best they can!" The audience applauded. "And now, without further ado, let's begin today's ceremony with a song by Polly's best friend, Lucielle Omitsu, who will lead us all in our opening song, 'Lead Me, Guide Me.' Feel free to sing along using the song sheets on your chair." She nodded to Lucielle, who stood up next to the piano. wally stood behind her, near her back. She nodded to the piano player, who started to play the opening tunes. She took a deep breath and began:

Lead me, guide me along the way,  
For if you lead me I cannot stray.  
Lord let me walk each day with Thee.  
Lead me, oh Lord lead me

I am weak and I need Thy strength and power,  
To help me over my weakest hour.  
Let me through the darkness Thy face to see,  
Lead me, oh Lord lead me.

Lead me, guide me along the way,  
For if you lead me I cannot stray.  
Lord let me walk each day with Thee.  
Lead me, oh Lord lead me.

Help me tread in the paths of righteousness.  
Be my aid when Satan and sin oppress.  
I am putting all my trust in Thee:  
Lead me, oh Lord lead me.

Lead me, guide me along the way,  
For if you lead me I cannot stray.  
Lord let me walk each day with Thee.  
Lead me, oh Lord lead me.

I am lost if you take your hand from me,  
I am blind without Thy light to see.  
Lord just always to me thy servant be,  
Lead me, oh Lord lead me.

Lead me, guide me along the way,  
For if you lead me I cannot stray.  
Lord let me walk each day with Thee.  
Lead me, oh Lord lead me.

As soon as she had finished everyone clapped. Muttering 'thank you', Lucielle returned to her seat with wally rubbing her shoulders. Vi took the mike again.

"Thank you. Now I would like to ask the Captain of The Royal Guards, Mr. Al Dante, to come up and say a few words." To polite applause Al boarded the mike.

"Thank you all very much. I would first like to ask all Samurais to please stand as I ask General Catton to come up and lead all of us in the Samurai Pledge." General Catton then stood up and removed his helmet, as did the rest of the Rescue Team who had lined up behind him. The Samurais that were in the audience, friends of the Samurai Pizza Cats as well as the NY Cats stood up, and those who wore helmets took them off and held them over their hearts as the song began:

"Faith of our fathers, living still,  
In spite of dungeon, fire, and sword;  
Oh, how our hearts beat high with joy  
Whene'er we hear that glorious Word!

Faith of our fathers, holy faith!  
We will be true to thee till death.

Faith of our fathers, we will strive  
To win all nations unto thee;  
And through the truth that comes from God,  
We all shall then be truly free.

Faith of our fathers, holy faith!  
We will be true to thee till death.

Faith of our fathers, we will love  
Both friend and foe in all our strife;  
And preach thee, too, as love knows how  
By kindly words and virtuous life.

Faith of our fathers, holy faith!  
We will be true to thee till death.

The Samurais all sat down as Al took the mike again. He cleared his throat. "Thank you very much. Ladies and Gentilemen, I'm not very good at public speaking, so you'll have to forgive me if this isn't the best. wE have all gathered here today to honor the memory of this brave, fearless young women. A woman I had the privilidge of knowing as a courageous fighter, a truly selfless defender…and as a good friend. I knew, the moment I first saw her fight, along with Speedy and Guido, that she was one of the finest fighters I had ever known. She had a huge heart and a remarkable soul, and she, Speedy, and Guido were the best Samurais I had…and the three ones best suited to defend our city…and defend it she did, up until the last day of her life! I personally have no regrets in the Samurai I have chosen as this city's defenders, and I think that with the unveiling of this statue today my choosing her as one of our fighters was one of the best decisions I made. So, today, as we remember her life, we remember the honor she carried with her to the end. God bless you, Polly."

"She's already blessed us!" A duck woman called out, standing up just then. "She's our Guardian Angel, she's watching over us right from Heaven. I saw her spirit souring right above my head this morning.."

"Wait a minute, you saw her?" A mouse said. "I did too! I saw her, she was flying overhead along with Speedy and Guido!"

"I did too! I saw her, she was flying over us," a pig said.

"She was?" Lucielle said, not being able to believe it. "when…when was this?"  
"This morning! Apparently Speedy, Guido, and Good Bird were flying right above our heads…and Polly decided to come down and fly with them, like a Guardian Angel! Like OUR Guardian Angel!"

"Speedy and Guido were there? WEre they all right?!"

"They looked all right. I don't even know if they knew she was next to them! She was right along side them, flying like she used to. Guess she decided to come down to watch over her team to make sure they were OK."

Al stood by the mike. "Just out of curiosity, how many of you claim to have seen her spirit?" Almost 75 percent of hands went up. "Could that be why Speedy didn't commit suicide? Polly helped from the Great Beyond?"

"Oh…you all saw Polly's ghost?" Vi said eagerly. "Oh, do you think she might show up again right in the middle of our tribute?"

"Can't say for sure," Al said.

"I hope so," the horse said, holding up her new baby. "I want her to see her namesake."

"Aw, she's so cute!" a cat said.

"This is my new little baby, little Polly!" She lifted her up. "Look, Polly! Your legacy will live on! This is your namesake."

The squirrel father raised his hand. "Us too. My wife just gave birth to a little girl."

"Oh, congratulations!"

"Thank you. Little Polly Esther Yamamoto."

A pregnant duck patted her full belly. "I know I'm having a girl…and I've already decided to name her Polly!"

"Oh, please lets try!" Lucielle begged. "I just want to see her..there's so much I need to tell her!" She looked up to Heaven. "Oh, Polly, please come down! Please come here so I can see you….I just want to tell you…I love you, Polly, and I'm so, so sorry for everything!!" Wally began to massage her shoulders to calm her down and not ruin the tribute.

"Maybe she will come, Little Sister, just believe!"

"Oh, Wally I hope so! I need to tell her.."

"I know, I know."

"Well, let's get on with the tribute and unveiling."

Al secretly agreed with Vi. "I do hope what they say is true and she DID come back from the Great Divide to help Speedy…I would love to see her one last time, too."

Now, Ladies and Gentilemen, I would like to now call up Sayaka Esther, younger sister of Polly, who would like to say a few words about her sister." Sayaka, looking nervous, stepped up from her seat in the front row and made her way up to the mike. She cleared her throat and unfolded a peice of paper she had with her.

"My sister was my hero and she still is. So many people think of my sister and know only one side of her. Polly the Samurai. Polly the Hot-Tempered. Polly the Fighter. Poly the Fearless. She was all of that...but there was a different side to Polly. She was also Poly the Sister. Polly the Loving. Polly the Gentile. Polly the Listener. Polly the Caring. Polly the Selfless. This was a Polly that not too many people got to see. But believe me, this Polly was there. In the way she fought to defend the town she loved..this was Polly the Caring. The way she would use her strength and power to help destroy Cheese's robots, this was Polly the Selfless. The way he would stop at nothing to make sure all evil was vanquished no matter WHAT she had to do...even if it meant showing her worst..this was Polly The Loving. But of course there were some sides to Polly I was lucky enough to have had all to myself...Polly the Listener...Polly The Sister. It didn't look that way to all of you who only knew her through the pizza parlor, or though her Samurai status..but Polly was the most wonderful sister I could have known. She would always made sure to spend time with me when we were little Kittens. When she would play with Speedy and Lucielle when we were little...and a little while later when Guido came into our midst, she would let me play too. If I had a problem, I know I could always go to her. She would listen to me and give the best advice ever. I can remember a time I was scared of thunderstorms...I would rush into my big sister's room when the thunder crashed really loud...and Polly would let me come into bed with her. I knew I would be safe in her bed. If I was sad...she'd sing to me in her lovely voice. Even when she grew up and moved out of home, I knew if I had a problem with anything, i could go right to the Pizza parlor, and she'd be there for me. Speedy, Guido, Lucielle..I consider them all a part of my family too. After all they all hung out at our home..I've known Speedy since I was born! Poly is now an angel in heaven, as I'm sure a lot of you already know. But I want to announce right now, that Polly has taught me a lot, and I'm gonna take tat wisdom and use it in the best way i know how...to continue her memory. I want to herby announce that I myself have started Samurai training to contunue in her memory. And when the day comes when I can be a full-fledged Samurai and stand beside Speedy and Guido in my sister's old place...that will be one of the happiest moments of my life! Polly...everything I do and will do from now on will be for you and in your memory...and I was blessed to have you as my sister. A few days ago...before this happened...as I was helping her plan her wedding I asked her how she would want to be remembered. She simply said. 'I just hope that the four of us are remembered'. How wonderfully you are all remembering her today! Thanks for loving my sister!" She brushed away tears and went to stand beside Al as Nyo stood up and clapped as hard as he could. Her parents followed. Vi took the stage again.

"Thank you, Sayaka. I want to assure you all that Polly, with this statue which we are about to unveil, will be remembered fondly with all our heart and for as long as Tokyo stands, so will her memory!" the audience clapped. "No, to a song in tribute to Polly, Miss Lucielle Omitsu." Lucielle came over to the piano. Taking the mike, she took a deep breath and looked up to Heaven, praying that Polly ould appear above so she could see her.

"I'd like to dedicate this song to my very best friend, who is with all of us today…Polly….this is just for you." She began to sing. 

"Sorry I never told you  
All I wanted to say  
And now it's too late to hold you  
'Cause you've flown away  
So far away

Never had I imagined  
Living without your smile  
Feeling and knowing you hear me  
It keeps me alive  
Alive

And I know you're shining down on me from heaven  
Like so many friends we've lost along the way  
And I know eventually we'll be together  
One sweet day

Sister, I never showed you  
Assumed you'd always be there  
I took your presence for granted  
But I always cared  
And I miss the friendship we shared

And I know you're shining down on me from heaven  
Like so many friends we've lost along the way  
And I know eventually we'll be together  
One sweet day

Although the sun will never shine the same again  
I'll always look to a brighter day  
Lord I know when I lay me down to sleep  
You will always listen as I pray

And I know you're shining down on me from heaven  
Like so many friends we've lost along the way  
And I know eventually we'll be together  
One sweet day

Sorry I never told you  
All I wanted to say

The audience clapped. Lucielle looked up to Heaven. I love you, Polly," she whispered. "Please forgive me," she ran off the stage, blinded by tears. Wally followed her to the back of her teahouse, where she sat on the front seat, sobbing her heart out. Wally sat down next to her and rubbed her back to avoid having her business destroyed.

"Thank you very much," Vi said. "Now, without further.." just then a Guard boarded the stage and waved to get Vi's attention.

"We got him," he mouthed.

"Just a moment, great news! The sword of justice has finally tracked down Symore Cheese! He is now captured and under arrest! Justice has won!" They were brought on the stage before Vi. Immidiately people booed, hissed, and threw dirt at them. Vi slammed her fist on the podium to get their attention. "Symoure Cheese, Jerry Atric, Hideko Heroshi, you three stand accused of the murder of Polly Esther…"

"Not true!" Cheese said out loud. "No, you don't understand.."

"Don't understand?!" Sayaka cried out. "My sister is lying cold in our family tomb and you put her in there you bastard!!"

"Oh great, sister of Esther!" Cheese said. Sayaka raced to him, all prepared to claw Cheese's face off. Al had to hold her back with all his strength.

"Not now, Sayaka. Not right now," Al said. "You're not a Samurai yet, you can't do this!"

"Let me go, let me go!! **Let. Me. Go!!" **It took all of Al's strength to hold her back. Tane ran up the stairs and held her tightly to prevent her from running towards Cheese. "KILLER! KILLER!! KILLER!!"

"Hah, 2 nutcases in the same family. YOU must be proud!" Cheese couldn't help but say.

Tane's face hardened in anger. "For YOUR information, you heartless bastard, I AM PROUD!! True, both of my daughters may not be typical Japanese women, but they've proven themselves more worthy than you've ever been or will ever be!! As a mother I could NOT be more proud than to call both Polly and Sayaka my daughters!"

"Hah, now I see where they got those tempers from…."

"Silence!!" Vi called out, pulling out her naganata. "Cheese, if I hear one more word out of you I'm not gonna hesitate to order Al to KILL you on the spot!"

"Do it now!" a monkey said, standing up just then. "execute him!"

"Behead him!" cried a goose.

"Get a rope!" the Mama Bulldog said.

"Find the tallest tree!" Junior said.

"Take a gun and shoot him!!" a hippo said.

"Rip them into quarters!!"

"Stone him!" Sylvia said.

"Yeah! Take it, stone him!! Get him!" The citizens said beginning to throw things- anything they had.

"Not true! No, no!! You're not being fair!!" Cheese cried out.

"Shut the hell up!!" the crowd screamed again. Several of them began to push and shove their way up to the stage, it took all of Vi's guards to even try to hold them all back. Every time they tried, the mob got more and more aggressive. Finally Frieda grabbed her bazooka and fired a blank missle into the air, instantly quieting the group.

"Thank you," she said. "Go on, Violet."

"Thanks, Mama. Now, as I was saying, Cheese, Atric, and Heroshi, ordinarily I would order the three of you out of my sight right now for this heartless murder.."

"There was no murder!! You have to believe me, its all a mistake.."

"**You lieing bastard!! You killed my sister, ya jerk, admit it**!" Nyo said, throwing a handful of stones at them, just barely missing. "Two months before her wedding!! You killed her two months before her own wedding!!"

"Oh, her damn bridegroom ought to thank me for freeing him from that hellcat! Of course, there was nothing to thank cause neither one of them are dead! AH HA HA, I just love it when I'm right!! Ha, HA!!"

"LIAR!! KILLER!!" Soon the entire crowd rushed up at the stage, once again having to take the soldiers to hold them back…but this time they nearly ran over the soldiers. Al tried to keep control.

"Please!" he cried out, "Please!"

But none of them listened until Friedia fired her bazooka again.

"Thank you…but next time this is gonna have more than just blanks! Continue, Honey."

"Thank you Mama. Believe me, Ladies and Gentlemen, there is nothing I would love more than to exile all three of them, or execute them all …but before I do, I want the final thing you three see is the image of this brave, selfless, and courageous young woman whose life you so heartlessly took!"

Meanwhile Lucielle and Wally were still sitting upon the stairs, not even caring what was happening. Lucielle looked up tearfully. "Oh, Wally," she sobbed into his shoulders. Wally rubbed her back.

"there, there, Little Sister," he said. "There, there. That was a beautiful performace you gave. I know Polly loves it from where she is."

"I hope so.." Lucielle looked up. "Wally..do you really think Polly really came down? Did they really see her like they said?"

"Ordinarily I woudn't know Little Sister. But..if so many people saw her flying overhead...I'm quite ready to believe she did!

"Do you think...she can really hear us..do you think she's really flying overhead.,..and can see us?"

"I think she can."

Lucielle looked up. 'Oh, Polly," she whispered tightly. "Please, Polly...please come here...please appear before me so I can see you...I just want to talk to you...just one more time.." she bowed her head, praying. 'Oh, God," she said. "God, please...if it's at all possible...please have her come back...just for a few minutes...I just want to tell her I'm sorry...oh GOD, I'M SORRY, POLLY! I'M SORRY!!" but as Lucielle was praying, Wally's face got pale as something appeared in the distance. "I'm sorry...so sorry, Polly.." suddenly an all-too-familar voice came through the day.

"Sorry? What are you sorry about?"

Lucielle gasped at this. Was that...could it be...is this? She slowly raised her head to find an image of a young female cat before her, flanked by two other cats. This cat had red and pink armor with hearts carved into the arms, bright blue eyes, and a sweet smile...and she looked real! Truly real, not see-through at all! But..she had to be...she couldn't,...

The cat smiled. "Hi, Lucielle."

Lucielle stood up shakily as Wally crossed himself. Was this her own prayer coming true?! She tried to open her mouth, nothing came out...finally she fell down in Guido's arms in a faint. When she opened her eyes a few seconds later, she took in the sight of her long-lost friend fanning her face to get her up. Lucielle stood up. "Polly? P...Polly? Oh, Polly.." she longed to hug her, but had to remember she was a ghost. "Oh, Polly...I'm so glad you heard my prayers and came down.."

"Your prayers? I didn't hear you pray, Lucielle."

"Oh, did you just come to visit..oh Polly, you're so sweet even in death.."

Polly reached out and took Lucielle's shoulder. "But, I'm not dead, Lucielle! Look," she tapped her shoulder, and reached out to hug her. "Look...flesh and blood! You can't go through me at all!"

Lucielle gasped and ran her hands over Polly's back. "Polly...Polly, this is...you are...you're...oh Polly...THIS IS YOU!!" she threw herself into her friends arms. "THANK YOU, GOD!! OH, THANK YOU!!" She pulled away. "Polly...I'm sorry...I'm, so, so, so sorry..."

"What are you sorry about?"

"Everything. All this time..Polly, I wasn't a good friend to you..not at all! All this time...when the boys were flirting with me..before you and Speedy got engaged. I was having such fun flirting, I never thought about how it made you feel! I never noticed! Polly, I'm sorry I never noticed that you were hurt whenever I flirted with Speedy, I'm sorry I didn't take myself out of the running sooner so you could have married quicker. I'm sorry I was so vain and selfish! Oh Polly, believe me, I didn't mean to hurt you! I love you, you're like a sister to me, and I didn't want to hurt you, but I know I did, and I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...'

"Whoa whoa, Lucielle, come up for air!" She had to laugh and hug her. "That was such a long time ago! Don't beat yourself up over it! It's in the past. I've forgotten all of that! It's OK." she hugged Lucielle tightly. "It's Ok, It's OK, really. So, you're a bit of a flirt, so is Guido!" Guido looked down, but he couldn't hide his smile.

"But, I don't understand...if you're not dead...how.."

"Bring out some tea, we'll tell ya all about it," Speedy said.

Vi put her hand upon the tarp and Al walked over to help her. Together they pulled off the tarp…and revealed Polly's statue. It was life-size and made completely of gold. It had Polly wearing her uniform, in her familiar fighting stance, standing ramrod straight and holding her flute, which as made of rubies. Her eyes were bright blue sapphires. Underneath that statue was a gold plaque with the words:

POLLY ESTER

SAMURAI PIZZA CAT

ROLE MODEL TO ALL WOMEN EVERYWHERE

A TRUER, BRAVER, MORE SELFLESS HEROINE HAS YET TO BE FOUND

WE WILL NEVER FORGET

The citizens all 'oohed' and 'ahhed' and clapped. "I'd like to thank you all very much for your generous donations which helped to build this token of rememberance. May all who look at this statue always remember this woman and her sacrifice! May any and all women everywhere always look upon this statue and be inspired!"

The horse slowly carried her baby up to see the statue. "Look, Honey! That's who you're named after." The baby gooed. "Yes, Polly. Someday, I'll tell you about what a special person she was!"

"Me too," the Duck said, rubbing her own full belly.

Vi pointed angrily to Cheese. "Look there!! Look on this statue! Look upon this woman who you killed!! LOOK AT THIS!!"

"Do I have to, I already got my fill of her.." Cheese muttered.

'SHUT UP AND LOOK!! Look upon the one you killed!!"

Sayaka had by then disentangled herself from her mother's arms and slowly walked toward the statue. Her trembling hand reached over and stroked the shiny gold cheek. She looked up, in tears. "It…it looks just like her!"

Nyo came up on the stage just then and laid a bouquet of roses at the foot of it, kneeling down to pray.

"I know I missed your funeral, Sis…so I hope this makes up for it." He went over to hug Sayaka.

Vi turned back to the mike and picked up a bottle of champagne. "Now, we will christen the statue, and afterwards, for your enjoyment..and hopefully for Polly's, we have the Japanese choir of the…" just then something caught her eye as Speedy ran over to the podium. "Speedy!" she called out. "Speedy, you've come!!" The crowd started applauding.

"No.." Cheese muttered.

"Speedy, you came just in time!" Vi said.

"Are you alright, Speedy? Are you sure you're up for this?" Al asked, concerned.

"I'm alright, Al."

"As Polly's best friend, and fiance, I hope you're feeling well enough to do the honors and christen the statue." She handed the bottle to Speedy.

Speedy moved over to the statue. "Well…it looks good…but in my opinion, there's nothing like the real thing!" He held his hand out to his left…and the entire crowd all gasped as one as Polly boarded the stage, followed by Guido and Good Bird. It seemed all of Tokyo stood with their mouths open.

"P….P…Polly?" Vi gasped.

She looked at her. "Good Morning, your Highness!"

Vi then let out a blood-curdling scream. "Al!! AL!! A ghost! She really IS a ghost!! Call the mediums, call the Ghostbusters!!" she hid behind Al in fright.

'She IS a spirit!! She is!! I knew she was one!!" the crowds said.

Speedy jumped up then and took the mike. "Hold it, hold it, she's NOT a ghost! She's alive!" Al just stared as Vi came out from behind him. Polly ran over and hugged Al.

"Hi, Al!"

"Polly?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"But…"

Polly looked over at her family huddled to the left. "Mom, Dad, Nyo, Sayaka!"

Sayaka stopped and stared. Maybe she was dreaming. Life couldn't be this perfect…but it was! Her own beloved sister was back, was smiling at her! Tears came to Sayaka's eyes as a grin stretched every part of her face. WOrdlessly she bounded across the room and captured Polly in a fierce bear hug. Polly felt so warm, so solid and real, Sayaka never wanted to let her go. "  
She's real! She IS real!! She's alive!!" Sayaka cried.

"Honey..I think you're starting to cut off the circulation in my arms!" Polly laughed.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I'm just so happy to see you!!"

Polly held her at arm's length, whiping her tears away. "I'm glad to see you too!"

'NOW will you believe me?!" Cheese asked.

"SHUT UP!!" Vi yelled. "You're NOT off the hook Symoure!"

"But…but..how..you're..."

"Nope! I'm happy to report she's not! She's alive, she's real, and she's BACK!!"

"She's not…"

"But…she's…she's alive?!"

"I am NOT seeing this!!"

Al looked at Cheese. "Big Cheese, what do you know of this?!"

"I know I didn't kill her…unfortunately," he muttered to himself.

"Al, may I?" Speedy said. "Polly was never really dead. This piece of…" he pointed to Cheese. "shot her, not with poison, but with a sleeping potion that made her appear dead for 2 weeks. She was supposed to wake in the tomb and go insane, leading to suffocation!"

Vi turned to Cheese. "WHY YOU…." she lunged at him, Frieda and Al pulled her back. "GUARDS! TAKE ALL THREE OF THEM TO PRISONER ISLAND...THE DARKEST, MOST BARREN PART OF IT, AND GUARD THEM TWENTY-FOUR SEVEN!! GET THEM OUT OF MY SIGHT!!"

"No, NO, NO!!" they cried out as the Guards took all three away.

"My potion, do you think I could still make more potion?"

"WE'RE BACK ON PRISONER ISLAND, I DONT CARE ABOUT YOUR POTION!!"

"AW, SHUT UP, YOU WANT TO GET US IN MORE TROUBLE?!"

"YOU'RE DIGGING YOUR OWN GRAVE, BIRD!! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!" Huge explosions were then heard.

Vi turned back to Speedy. "But, Speedy," she said. "I don't understand, how'd you find out she was alive?"

Speedy looked down. "I didn't….when I broke into the tomb…to…Al, Guido, and Good Bird know…I gave her body a kiss…and that's when I saw she was warm! I checked, and she had a pulse! I knew I had to get her out of there!"

Polly smiled and pulled him into a passionate embrace. "I don't want _anyone _saying he's stupid _ever again_!!" she ordered at the audience.

The Choirmaster then came forward. "Miss Esther? Uh…I guess then we're off duty.."

"why?" Polly asked.

"well, Princess Vi commissioned us to sing 'The Rainbow Connection in honor of you today…but seeing as how you're alive.."

"Oh. I'd love to hear that song!"

"But…you're here, and alive…"

"But it's my favorite! Please, I'd love to hear it!"

So the choir got into postions, and the Cats and Good Bird made room.

Why are there so many  
Songs about rainbows  
And what's on the other side  
Rainbow's are visions  
They're only illusions  
And rainbows have nothing to hide  
So we've been told and some chose to  
Believe it  
But I know they're wrong wait and see

Someday we'll find it  
The Rainbow Connection  
The lovers, the dreamers and me

Who said that every wish  
Would be heard and answered  
When wished on the morning star  
Somebody thought of that  
And someone believed it  
And look what it's done so far  
What's so amazing  
That keeps us star gazing  
What so we think we might see

Someday we'll find it  
That Rainbow Connection  
The lovers the dreamers and me

Have you been half asleep  
And have you heard voices  
I've heard them calling my name  
Are these the sweet sounds that called  
The young sailors  
I think they're one and the same  
I've heard it too many times to ignore it  
There's something that I'm supposed to be

Someday we'll find it  
The Rainbow Connection  
The lovers, the dreamers and me 


	29. Remembering Life

The song is 'Ladylove' by Lou Rawls

After the music had died down Polly clapped her hands happily. "That was perfect! Thank you!"

"You're welcome," the head singer said. "I think we can all say 'welcome back, Ms. Esther!"

Polly smiled at the hundreds of thousands of citizens who were clapping, cheering, and waving their flags of Japan, all gathered in the public suare to honor her.

All those that she loved who loved her back! "It's great to be back!"

Frieda then took the mike. "well," she said happily. "It looks like we have another kind of celebration of life here….and the one whose life we're remembering is right here to enjoy our celebration with us!!" Cheers were heard from all over the square, so loud and filled with happiness you could hear it from all over the world!

"Oh…but Mama," Vi said, looking at the statue, "what are we gonna do with this?! She's alive now, so this statue is kinda useless!"

"well…why not just keep it up? The workers spent a long time on it, and after all, just because she's alive doesn't make her any less loved!

Polly went over to it and touched it carefully. "It's so beautiful, your Highness…I'm so honored…but in all fairness, I shouldn't be alone up here. Speedy, Guido, and Good Bird should be here too. ESPECIALLY Speedy, just for putting up with half the things I used to do to him!"

"But, we don't have enough money in our treasury for three more statues! It took a lot of donations just to finish this one and make it life size!"

"well…it doesn't have to be life size….just melt this down and build 4 small statues, I don't mind."

"Are you sure, Sis? It looks so lovely, just like you!"

"But, I'm here, Sayaka…and I haven't done anything all by myself. Speedy, Guido, and Good Bird always helped me! It's only right I share my statue with them!"

"ARRRRGH!! WE BLEW IT, WE BLEW IT, WE BLEW IT!! WE HAD THEM, WE ALMOST HAD TOKYO, WE ALMOST HAD IT ALL, AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!! I TOLD YA TO GET SPEEDY!! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO GET SPEEDY!!"

"Cheesy, calm down, you have to try to control all this negative energy, we're all on a raft, please!!"

"IF YOU'D ONLY HAVE GOTTEN SPEEDY IN THE FIRST PLACE NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED YOU ABSOLUTE BRAIN-DEAD IDIOT! YOU AND YOUR STUPID CROWS CANT DO ANYTHING RIGHT!!" Cheese began to hop up and down on the raft, making the water rise and fall in huge waves as his face began to turn that familiar shade of red.

"Symoure, control yourself, we're on a raft!!"

"CONTROL, WHO'S NOT IN CONTROL?! I HATE THOSE CATS, JUST HATE THEM!! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!"

"My potion, my invention…all gone, gone!!"

"DO I LOOK LIKE I GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOUR POTION, YOU GOT US INTO THIS!!'

"I TOLD YOU 2 WEEKS!!'

"I HEARD YOU SAY 2 WEEKS, YOU IDIOT!! YOU GOOF, YOU SHOULD HAVE TRIED TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT LAST!! I'M STUCK WITH SUCH JACKASSES!! ARRRRRRRGH!!"

Next thing any of them knew, they landed right back on Prisoner's Island via air mail.

That night Polly was sitting upon the roof of the Pizza Cats Restaurant, looking up at the stars with happiness. Ever since she'd started dating Speedy, he had opened her eyes to many lovely things about the world she had not had a chance to see from the Pizza Kitchen of the restaurant, like the view from this roof. It had become her and Speedy's special place to spend time together, it was so lovely, like something clear off of a picture postcard. It took her breath away each time she came up here, and to think she had once scolded Speedy and Guido for coming up here and shirking when they were supposed to be doing chores! Now she could fully understand why they had come! She even found herself rushing through chores just to come up here herself.

She had had a special 'elcome Back' dinner with her family at their home, and she had insisted Speedy, Guido, Lucielle, and Fran come to. After all, in a way they were all a part of her family- _especially_ Speedy! Sighing with joy, she stared up at the bright full moon shining down, bathing Tokyo in its lovely light. She became aware of movement behind her and a hand on her shoulder. "Ya couldn't sleep, Kitten?"

Polly smiled "I just got out of a 2 week coma, I don't think I'll be able to sleep for a while. Can't you sleep, Speedy?"

"I'm _way_ too happy for that!" Speedy smiled and sat next to Polly. "Mind if I join ya, Polly?"

Polly kissed his cheek and moved over so Speedy could sit next to her. He put his arm around her as she snuggled up to him. Speedy sighed again and squeesed her to his side, thankful to God that he was able to do that again. He gazed at her. "Isn't life funny, Kitten?"

She shrugged. "Sometimes."

"I don't mean funny 'Ha,ha'…I mean, it's just funny. when I got up this morning, I didn't think I'd ever see the stars or moon up here on this roof again…much less enjoy them with you."

Polly ran her hand tenderly over his. "This chance almost didn't come for either one of us," she said seriously.

Speedy reached over and kissed her on her lips. "I love you, Polly Esther," he whispered into her ear. "If I don't say that often enough I'm saying it right now. I love you with all my heart."

"I love you with all of mine, Speedy Cerviche," Polly answered him. Speedy gathered her into his arms and began kissing her greedily on her cheek and through her hair. She didn't mind, she knew why he was doing this. Polly nuzzled up against his chest, enjoying this feeling that he gave her. "Mmmm," she moaned. "You kiss soooo good.." she reached up and kissed his lips.

"So do you," he muttered into her hair before kissing her again and again. "Uh…Kitten..let's go into the kitchen…before we get carried away.."

Polly giggled and winked. "I'll share a late night sandwich with ya!"

when they came into the kitchen, Polly made a sandwich- tuna fish, which she knew was Speedy's favorite- and cut it in half. Speedy found a candle and lit it, sticking it into the middle of the table, dimming the lights to just the right glow. As they ate, Speedy stared at Polly, and how lovely she looked framed by the soft light flickering from the candle. Twice he stroked her paw, making her blush. "Kiss for your thoughts?"

Polly reached over and kissed his lips tenderly. "This evening has been so perfect, Speedy…so peaceful..I wish it didn't have to end in a few hours."

"Me neither. I just wanna keep pinching myself…but I'm afraid to do that."

"why, Speedy?"

"I'm afraid I'll wake up!"

Polly stroked his hand. "what can I do to convince you that you're not dreaming?" she asked with a seductive smile. In answer Speedy pulled her into his arms in a deep, passion filled kiss.

"Mmm…I'm NOT dreaming," he said playfully. He ran his hands up and down her arm. "Mmm…Kitten…let's just elope right now!! Let's get dressed, wake up Guido, Lucielle, and Francine, and let's go see the Priest right this morning!!"

Polly laughed and kissed his cheek. "Speedy, that would break my family's hearts. You know how they wanted to throw us a big, fancy wedding!"

Speedy sighed. "I know…I just got carried away. It's just that….I didn't come that close to losing you before…"

"Don't worry, Pussycat. You'll never lose me," Polly promised leaning down for a passionate kiss. "Of course," she added mischievously. "There's no reason why we can't move the date up a bit!"

Speedy smiled. "You read my mind that time, Kitten!" He moved over to the jukebox and punched some buttons. A love song came out. He took Polly's hand. "Dance with me?"

"Of course," Polly said as she walked into his arms and they slowly waltzed around the floor, gazing into one another's eyes as the whole world faded away.

Lady love, your love is peaceful  
Like the summer's breeze  
My lady love, with love that's tender  
As a baby's touch  
You give me all of the things  
That I need so much  
You're my world, lady love

Lady love, your love is cooling  
Like the winter snow  
My lady love, with love that's cozy  
As a fire's glow  
And I keep on needing you, girl  
A little more and more  
And I thank you, my lady love

You know, it's not easy to keep love flowing smooth

People are people and they all have their moods  
But it's so nice just to have someone like you  
Who wants a smooth and easy thing  
And all the good times that it brings

My lady love, you've been with me  
Through all of my ups and downs  
My lady love, I once was lost  
But now with you I'm found  
You got the love I need  
And I want to stay around  
Heaven sent you down, my lady love

Let me tell you that it's not easy to keep love flowing smooth  
You know, people are people, they all have their moods  
But it's so nice just to have someone like you  
Who wants a smooth and easy thing  
And all the good times and the joy that it brings

My lady love, you've been with me  
Through all of my ups and downs  
And my crazy turn-arounds  
My lady love, you got the love I need  
So stay around  
Heaven sent my lady love

Lady love, sweet lady love  
You are so good to me  
Lady love, like a warm summer breeze  
(So glad I found my lady love, lady love)  
(so glad I found my lady love, lady love)


	30. The end

****

The songs are: "You Make Me Feel Brand New," "Three Times A Lady," "Through The Years," "Time After Time," and "All I Ask Of You."

****

Three Weeks Later…

The town square was once again filled with almost the entire population of Little Tokyo, all once again gathered to bear witness to another event. Only this time there was no weeping, no wailing, no sadness of ANY kind. This time there was not one, but two Cats upon the platform, neither one dressed in black. In fact, the podium itself was decorated with lovely colored imported lace, pink folded-out bells, and absolutely covered with flowers. One Cat was in a handsome blue suit with his hardly seen jet black hair neatly combed, the other in a beautiful white lace wedding kimono with a white veil enhancing her short cherry-red hair. They were facing one another with bright smiles upon their faces as Minister Kata lead them in their vows.

"Speedy Yattaro Cerviche, will you in the eyes of God take this woman to be your wife? **W**Ill you vow to love, honor, and cherish her through good times and through bad, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse until death do you part?"

Speedy beamed happily at his lovely bride. "I will."

"Polly Pururan Esther, will you in the eyes of God take this man to be your husband? **W**Ill you vow to love, honor, and cherish him through good times and through bad, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse until death do you part?"

She wiped happy tears from her own eyes. "I will."

"Now we come to an important part of the ceremony," Kata said, "The time to receive blessings from your family, friends, all who love you." He waved his hands above his head. "If there is anyone here who can show just cause why these two young cats may NOT be joined together, let him or her now speak or hereafter forever hold their peace." Al stood up then from his seat and faced the congregation with his hands on his hips and a warning glance, telling them all that if they valued their lives they would NOT say a word! Finally he turned and nodded to Kata. "I now ask the bride and groom to face each other and pronounce their vows." Polly handed her flowers to Luceille and turned to face Speedy.

"Polly," Speedy began, "I want to marry you now more than I ever have! It took what almost happened last month to make me fully realise how much you mean to me, and how important you are to me. Polly….I can't go on in my life without you, and I know that with all my heart now. I promise to be the most honest, loyal husband and to be 100 percent faithful to you up into the day I die. As God is my witness there will never, ever be anyone else, and in front of all of Little Tokyo I swear on my life that my heart is yours forever. I love you, Polly."

Polly's eyes filled with tears. "Speedy, I love you more than anything, and…now I know just how much you love me…and I vow I'll never forget it. You are, without a doubt, the sweetest, kindest, most loving, and most wonderful cat. You're the bravest hero I know…and the best friend I've ever had, and I vow to be the best wife ever to you. I vow as God is my witness that I will cherish every moment you're near me, I will be honest, true, and faithful to you as long as I live, and I will be eternally grateful that I _have_ this life to spend with you. I love you, Speedy."

Kata beamed. "we now come to the ring ceremony. The ring is the symbol of the joining of this couple for eternity. It represents perfect and eternal love, never beginning and never ending. who has the rings?"

Guido stepped forward. "I do." Kata said a blessing over them, picked one up, and gave it to Speedy.

"Speedy, please put this ring on the 4th finger of Polly's left hand, look into her eyes, and repeat after me…"

Speedy did so. "Polly, I give you this ring as a symbol of my undying love and eternal devotion to you. with this ring, I thee wed."

Kata piked up the other ring. "Polly, if you will place this ring on the 4th finger of Speedy's left hand, look into his eyes and repeat after me.."

Polly did so. "Speedy, I give you this ring as a symbol of my undying love and eternal devotion to you. with this ring, I thee wed."

Kata smiled. "Now we come to the part where we make this union legal in the law of Little Tokyo." He took the Register from his assistant. "Please now come forward and sign the wedding register." They both did so, as did Guido and Lucille as the witnesses. Kata then took a goblet of wine on the podium and blessed it. "Speedy, please give a sip of this wine to Polly and then take a sip yourself to signify the two becoming one," they did so. "By the exchangeing of rings and the joining of hands, let what started out as the saddest month of your lives now turn into your happiest as you 2 now become one in the eyes of man, and more important, in the eyes of God. with the power vested in me through God, Little Tokyo, and their majesties Emperior Fred, Empress Freida, and Princess Violet, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may seal your union!" Beaming, Speedy pulled Polly into his arms and kissed her with such love and passion it took everyone's breath away. Pulling apart, they stared into each other's eyes, for a moment forgetting anyone else was there.

"I love you," Speedy whispered.

"I love you" Polly answered, kissing him all over again.

"Ladies and gentilemen it is now my honor to present to you for the first time ever, Mr. And Mrs. Speedy and Polly Esther Cerviche!" Immidiately all of Little Tokyo cheered out loud, waved brightly colored banners and threw confetti in the air to match the confetti, long ribbons, and doves that were already being released as Speedy and Polly, now finally married, kissed again, oblivious to everything happening around them. Finally the newlyweds turned and made their way down the carpeted isle toward the waiting limo, provided by the Royals, hundreds of faces beaming at them and throwing rose petals.

"Esther- Cerviche?" Fran whispered to Sayaka as they came down the isle.

"Hey," Sayaka said. "Polly may have married a Cerviche, but you can't get the Esther out of the girl that easily!"

A little while later the courtyard of the Royal Palace was filled with everyone in town, all gathered to celebrate this most joyous of days and this happiest of moments- the day when 2 of their strongest, bravest heroes finally joined their lives and souls forever. Just a month or so ago, none of them ever thought this day would come! As the wedding party made their way into the huge courtyard, they were all greeted by ecstatic cheers while people waved their flags and banners high. Vi immediately took the stage and grabbed the mike. "citiens of Little Tokyo, a short month ago we were all gathered in the town square, no doubt going through the saddest day of our lives, and now here we are at the happiest! POlly, if this month has taught us anything, it's how much we appreciate you and all you have done for all of us. Speedy, we hope you know just how much you are appreciated by all of us, too. If it wasn't for you both, Guido, and Good Bird, none of us would even be here today celebrating this happy occasion with you! wE all wish you nothing but love, joy, and eternal happiness forever!" After everyone applauded, Vi held up her hand. "Now it's time for the first dance. Speedy? Polly? If you would." Speedy lead Polly to the center of the dance floor and took her in his arms as the music began.

My love  
I'll never find the words, my love  
To tell you how I feel, my love  
Mere words could not explain  
Precious love  
You held my life within your hands  
Created everything I am  
Taught me how to live again

Only you  
Cared when I needed a friend  
Believed in me through thick and thin  
This song is for you  
Filled with gratitude and love

God bless you  
You make me feel brand new  
For God blessed me with you  
You make me feel brand new  
I sing this song 'cause you  
Make me feel brand new

My love  
Whenever I was insecure  
You built me up and made me sure  
You gave my pride back to me  
Precious friend  
With you I'll always have a friend  
You're someone who I can depend  
To walk a path that never ends

Without you  
My life has no meaning or rhyme  
Like notes to a song out of time  
How can I repay  
You for having faith in me

wHen they finished their dance, they gaz

ed into each other's eyes, sharing another kiss as Guido stood on a chair and tapped the side of his glass with a spoon. "I'd like to make a toast," he said. He waited until everyone had gotten a drink, than cleared his throat. "As Princess Vi put it, a month ago it was the end of the world for a lot of us, when we thought we had lost one of our team. It was one of the saddest moments of our lives. I think we all, especially Speedy, would agree that…you never fully realize how good you have it…until something that tragic happens. Polly….if we haven't shown you how much we appreciate you before…we're showing it now. we all missed you more than you could possibly know. wElcome back, Polly!"

He then turned to Speedy. "Speedo…what can I say? As many of you know...I haven't been the nicest cat in the entire world to them. In fact... I've been downright cruel and mean, especially to Speedy. I can't tell you how many times I've argued with him, beaten him up, even pulled pranks on him. But, Speedy has definitely shown that he's the bigger cat in all of this, by not only constantly forgiving me, but for giving me the honor of being his Best Man. Polly, I can honestly say that you'll never find a better Cat than Speedy. I can tell you honestly, he'll be the best husband ever to you, and the truest friend you can ever have. Speedy, I haven't known Polly as long as you have, but in the time that I have been lucky enough to know her, I know you'll never find a more hardworking, more honest, and more faithful wife ever in the whole land. You two belong together, and you've found your soul mates in each other. With both of you leading all of us, I know Little Tokyo will be the safest and most lovely place to live, and you both will have the greatest marriage ever. May you always be blessed with long life and lots of love. Congratulations. I love you both."

Lucille stepped forward. "Polly…I know I haven't exactly been the most wonderful friend in the world to you…especially not to Polly. So many times I've neglected her feelings and not noticed how hurt she was or how angry she was when I flirted with Speedy. So many others would have given me the brush off, but not you. You've proven to be a true friend by showing forgiveness and compassion…and for that I vow to always be grateful. I've known you both since we were all children, and I knew you had a special friendship even back then. A friendship that would take you both through the ages and guide you always. Now this friendship has, before our eyes, turned to love! True, honest love. I know as I look at you that no two cats deserve to be together more than you both do. Your love is without a doubt, truly special and pure, and that, combined with your fighting skills, will ensure Tokyo of always being safe. I'm proud to say that you are two of my very best friends, and without you, my life wouldn't be the same, as I'm sure a lot of us feel the same way," Everyone nodded. "Speedy, Polly, have a wonderful marriage and a long life filled with love!"

Everyone lapped again. Speedy then took the mike. "Thank you, thank you everyone! As Guido put it just now…a month ago was the worst day of my whole life…the day I thought I lost my Kitten forever! I still get choked up thinking of how close we both came to never seeing this day! I wanna think Guido. Fran, Lucielle, Good Bird, Carla, Al, and everyone else for all of their love and support. If it weren't for them…God knows what might have happened." He turned to Polly. "Polly…Kitten..I love you with all my heart…and I want to show you right now how much I do. This is from me to you." He knelt down in front of her, took her hand, and gestured to the musicians as they played notes of love. Taking a deep breath, Speedy serenaded his bride.

****

"Thanks for the times that you've given me,  
The memories are all in mind.  
And now that we've come  
To the end of our rainbow  
There's something I must say out loud!

You're once, twice  
Three times a lady  
And I love you.  
Yes, You're once, twice  
Three times a lady  
And I love you!

When we are together  
The moments I cherish  
With every beat of my heart.  
To touch you, to hold you  
To feel you, to need you.  
There's nothing to keep us apart

You're once, twice  
Three times a lady  
And I love you!  
I love you !" everyone applauded as Polly wiped tears from her eyes and passionately kissed Speedy.

After everyone clapped, Polly's father came forward and took her hand. Speedy bowed and left the floor. The song started up as Polly danced a sentimental dance with her Dad.

__

'Can't remember when you weren't there  
When I didn't care for anyone but you  
I swear we've been through everything there is  
Can't imagine anything we've missed  
Can't imagine anything the two of us can't do

Through the years, you've never let me down  
You turned my life around, the sweetest days I've found  
I've found with you ... through the years  
I've never been afraid, I've loved the life we've made  
And I'm so glad I've stayed, right here with you  
Through the years.

I can't remember what I used to do  
Who I trusted… who I listened to before  
I swear you've taught me everything I know  
Can't imagine needing someone so  
But through the years it seems to me  
I need you more and more

Through the years, through all the good and bad  
I knew how much we had, I've always been so glad  
To be with you ... through the years  
It's better everyday, you've kissed my tears away  
As long as it's okay, I'll stay with you  
Through the years

Through the years, when everything went wrong  
Together we were strong, I know that I belonged  
Right here with you ... through the years  
I never had a doubt, we'd always work things out  
I've learned what love's about, by loving you  
Through the years

Through the years, you've never let me down  
You've turned my life around, the sweetest days I've found  
I've found with you ... through the years  
It's better everyday, you've kissed my tears away  
As long as it's okay, I'll stay with you  
Through the years!'

The guests clapped, and Akira kissed his daughter's cheek.

Polly then took the mike. "Ok, now it's my turn to say something. First of all, I want to thank each and every one of you! This was without a doubt the happiest day of my life. I'm so honored by all you've done…and I love all of you!" everyone clapped. "But…not as much as I love this one smart, funny, brave, and handsome cat right next to me!" Speedy smiled and kissed her cheek. 'It was so hard to believe I was shut up in my family tomb for 2 solid weeks! But when I heard what Speedy was about to do…and how he was able to discover I was alive…that's how much I knew he loved me…and it's an honor to be so loved. I want Speedy to know I love him just as much…and I always will! I love you forever, Pussycat!" Speedy pulled her into another kiss as the audience cheered.

Afterward, Good Bird and Carla then stood up and tapped their glasses for attention. "OK, now that the first dances are out of the way, Carla and I would like to say a few words." Everyone got a drink and stood up. "First of all, Speedy and Polly, we'd like to say that this is one of the loveliest weddings we've ever been to. If you told me a while ago that I'd be here, at your wedding, much less that we'd all be the best of friends a little more than a year ago, I'd have said you all were crazy. But each and every one of you all proved to me what I was missing working for that rat Seymour. If it weren't for all of you, I might have had a hand in navigating that Comet and destroying Tokyo and never being reunited with my Carla, and for that I'm forever grateful. Speedy, Polly, thank you for giving us the opportunity to start over and be friends. It has been a true honor to share with you this, your wedding day. May you both be happy and filled with love."

After the applause had died down, Al Dente came forward. He took the microphone, and said, "It is a true honor to be here at this most lovely and momentous occasion. This is an absolutely wonderful moment, the moment when two individuals finally find their soulmates in each other. In honor of that, this song goes out to both of you. It's called 'Time After Time'. Conicidentally, I sang this song for my own wife on our wedding day...and I hope you will be as happy as we still are!" Al's wife blushed as the music cued up.

__

'Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick,  
and think of you  
caught up in circles confusion--  
is nothing new  
Flashback--warm nights--  
almost left behind  
suitcases of memories,  
time after--

sometimes you picture me--  
I'm walking too far ahead  
you're calling to me, I can't hear  
what you've said--  
Then you say--go slow--  
I fall behind--  
the second hand unwinds

if you're lost you can look--and you will find me  
time after time  
if you fall I will catch you--I'll be waiting  
time after time

after my picture fades and darkness has  
turned to gray  
watching through windows--you're wondering  
if I'm OK  
secrets stolen from deep inside  
the drum beats out of time--

if you're lost you can look--and you will find me  
time after time  
if you fall I will catch you--I'll be waiting  
time after time

you said go slow--  
I fall behind  
the second hand unwinds--

if you're lost if you're lost you can look--and you will find me  
time after time  
if you fall I will catch you--I'll be waiting  
time after time

Nyo then stepped up. "what an I say, Little Sister, that hasn't already been said…except..what took you so long?" They all laughed. "But seriously…I was in a way hoping this day would come, cause I knew you were both meant to be…but like everyone here…I didn't think it would. You both are the bravest, most amazing cats…and it is a complete honor to share this day. May you both have a wonderful life. And Speedy? If she makes you nuts..you call me!" They both laughed and hugged him.

Sayaka came forward. "Sis, ever since I was born, Speedy's been in my life! You and he were always together, and he, in many ways, was like my big brother. Now, he's become my big brother for real…and I've grown to love him just like one. I couldn't ask for a better Cat to add to my family, and I couldn't hope for a better brother than him. I know you'll take care of each other and always be together, just like you both always were. Sis…and big brother…from the bottom of my heart, congratulations. I love you both!"

Speedy and Polly smiled as another song came up. He took his new wife's hand and the whole party began to dance the words of the song.

_No more talk of darkness,  
Forget these wide-eyed fears.  
I'm here, nothing can harm you  
My words will warm and calm you.  
Let me be your freedom,  
Let daylight dry your tears.  
I'm here, with you, beside you,  
To guard you and to guide you . . .  
Then say you love me every winter morning,  
Turn my head with talk of summertime . . .  
Say you need me with you, now and always . . .  
Promise me that all you say is true  
That's all I ask of you . . ._

In the middle of the song, Speedy pulled Polly into a tender kiss. Polly smiled. "I can't believe I'm kissing a married man!", she teased.  
Speedy raised his eyebrows. "How'd ya like to get even closer to one tonight?" He winked.  
Polly blushed. "That would be so bad," she giggled and smiled, kissing him even deeper.  
"I love you, Kitten," he whispered into her ear.  
"I love you too, Pussycat."

'_Let me be your shelter,  
Let me be your light.  
You're safe: no-one will find you  
Your fears are far behind you . . .  
All I need is freedom,  
A world that's warm and bright  
And you always beside me  
To hold me and to hide me . . .  
Then say you'll share with me  
One love, one lifetime . . .  
Let me lead you from your solitude . . .  
Say you need me with you here, beside you . . .  
Anywhere you go,let me go too  
That's all I ask of you . . .  
Say the word and I will follow you...  
Share each day with me, each night, each morning . . .  
Say you feel the way I do  
That's all I ask of you . . .  
Anywhere you go let me go too . . .  
Love me -that's all I ask of you . .'_

Later, after the cake was cut, Polly walked up to the balcony of the room and threw her bouquet…which landed in the arms of Lucielle. She sat on a chair as Speedy took her garter off and threw it. Guido caught it easily and grinned as he put it on Lucielle, who blushed. Myoshi had to snicker to herself.

A few minutes past midnight, the newlyweds, in a shower of rose petals, ran to the waiting limo where the boat was waiting to take them to Hawaii for a 2 week Honeymoon. As they kissed one more before they got in, all who saw them knew for sure that all the tragedy that had happened was gone forever and only happiness lay before them from that day forward. Or, at least until Cheese came back. But that's another chapter.

The end.


End file.
